The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied allegations that it granted a rival faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by Nafiu Gombe, access to its candidate nomination portal.
A senior official of the commission, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said INEC recognises only the National Executive Committee of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark.
The commission’s response followed allegations by the media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, which claimed that INEC had aided efforts to weaken the opposition by allegedly providing Gombe’s faction with access codes to upload candidates’ names to the commission’s nomination portal despite officially recognising the David Mark-led leadership.
Atiku’s camp also accused the electoral commission and its chairman of allegedly contributing to internal crises within opposition parties and advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 general election. The former vice president’s media office argued that if the allegations were true, they would amount to partisanship and could trigger a fresh leadership crisis within the ADC.
However, the INEC official dismissed the claims, insisting that neither Gombe nor members of his faction were granted access to the nomination portal.
The official maintained that the commission conducts its activities strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and its regulations.
The controversy arose after Atiku’s media office alleged that Gombe had claimed to have uploaded the names of ADC candidates to INEC’s nomination portal, describing the development as evidence of bias by the electoral body.
Meanwhile, the ADC also rejected the claims. In a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said Gombe and his faction neither uploaded candidates’ names nor received access to the commission’s portal.
The party reiterated that INEC recognises only the David Mark-led leadership and could not have issued separate access credentials to any rival group.
The ADC further called on INEC to investigate what it described as the alleged forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly issued by the commission after claims by the rival faction that it had submitted the names of the party’s presidential candidate and other nominees.
The leadership dispute within the ADC has intensified since the emergence of David Mark as the party’s National Chairman and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary. The appointments have been challenged by rival factions as political realignments continue ahead of the 2027 general elections.
