By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed claims that a group led by Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe uploaded the names of a presidential candidate and other nominees to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal, describing the report as false and misleading.
The party also called on INEC to investigate what it alleged was the forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly issued by the Commission.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC maintained that only the leadership recognised by INEC has access to the Commission’s nomination portal and can upload candidates’ details.
According to the party, the electoral body does not issue nomination portal access or nomination codes to rival leaderships or unrecognised groups.
“INEC does not issue nomination portal access or nomination codes to a leadership it does not recognise. Secondly, the Commission will not issue two codes to the same party. Otherwise, every impostor would simply upload names to the portal and proclaim themselves the authentic leadership of a political party. That is plainly not how the law or the Commission’s processes work,” the statement said.
The party challenged those making the claims to provide evidence that any unauthorised group had successfully uploaded candidates’ names to the Commission’s portal.
It further alleged that documents purportedly emanating from INEC had been forged and used without authorisation in a manner capable of misleading the public and undermining confidence in the electoral process.
“We are formally drawing the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to what appears to be the forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly emanating from the Commission in a manner capable of creating confusion and undermining public confidence in its integrity and reputation as Nigeria’s electoral umpire. We trust that the Commission will investigate this matter and take the necessary steps to correct this blatant misrepresentation,” the party stated.
The ADC insisted that it was not factionalised and reaffirmed that the leadership recognised by INEC had concluded the party’s nomination process in accordance with the Electoral Act and the Commission’s guidelines.
The party also reiterated that the names of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, had already been uploaded to the INEC nomination portal.
“As we informed the public last week, the details of our Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (GCON), and our Vice-Presidential Candidate, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi (CON), have been uploaded on the INEC portal. Those are the facts,” the statement added.
The ADC urged its members, supporters, the media and the general public to disregard what it described as attempts to create confusion ahead of the 2027 general election and to rely only on official communications issued through the party’s authorised channels.
It also said it remained focused on presenting what it described as a credible alternative to address the country’s security, economic and governance challenges ahead of the 2027 polls.
