…Seeks INEC’s Intervention
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised objections to the list of candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections, alleging discrepancies in the names presented as its nominees.
The party, in a reaction to the list published on Sunday, said some candidates who emerged from its internal nomination process were not reflected in the commission’s publication, while other names not authorised by its leadership appeared on the list.
The National Chairman of the NDC, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the party was particularly concerned about nine names listed as its candidates in different constituencies in Anambra State.
Anambra, being the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has assumed particular political significance for the NDC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Zuwoghe maintained that the nine individuals whose names appeared on the INEC list were not the candidates endorsed by the party after its primaries and subsequent appeal process.
According to him, the NDC had completed its nomination procedures, with party stakeholders, representatives of its presidential candidate and members of the appeals panel participating in the process that produced the final list.
He said the approved candidates were subsequently uploaded to the INEC portal through the code issued to the party.
The party chairman, however, said questions arose when some of the names submitted by the NDC were not reflected in the commission’s final publication.
Zuwoghe alleged that nine names submitted by the party remained on “Pending” status, with the explanation that INEC already had different names supplied by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.
He further alleged that the commission subsequently received Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates rather than through the party, after which their names appeared in the published list as NDC candidates.
The development, according to the NDC chairman, has created uncertainty within the party and generated concerns among its members and supporters over the status of candidates for the 2027 legislative elections.
Zuwoghe therefore called on the INEC Chairman to urgently examine the circumstances surrounding the disputed nominations and determine how the names published by the commission differed from those submitted by the party.
He also urged the commission to broaden any investigation beyond Anambra, saying the party had identified what he described as similar concerns in Benue and Imo states.
The NDC chairman said the party was already examining the affected records and would take appropriate legal steps if the discrepancies were not resolved.
He said the party was prepared to approach a court of competent jurisdiction to challenge the published list and seek recognition of the candidates it said emerged from its duly conducted nomination and appeal processes.
The party also appealed to its members, supporters and the general public to exercise caution over the disputed names pending the resolution of the matter.
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