Former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of facilitating an alleged plot by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to weaken opposition parties, after a faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said it uploaded its 2027 candidates to INEC’s nomination portal.
In a statement on Monday, Atiku’s media office said INEC “acted unlawfully” by granting access to the portal to Nafiu Bala Gombe, whom the statement described as a claimant to the ADC national chairmanship. The office reiterated that Senator David Mark’s executive remained the party’s recognised leadership.
Gombe announced on Saturday that he had uploaded the names of the ADC’s presidential, National Assembly and other candidates to INEC’s portal — a process required for parties taking part in the 2027 general election. The faction also formally named Dr. Shamsuddeen Modibbo Barkindo as its vice‑presidential candidate.
Atiku’s media office said INEC had not explained the circumstances surrounding the access given to Gombe and argued the move violated the law and the commission’s guidelines. “By granting access code to Bala Gombe, a pretender laying claim to the chairmanship of the ADC, though the law is not on his side and INEC has since validated the chairmanship of the Sen. David Mark‑led executive, the electoral umpire is once again manifesting its partisanship,” the statement said.
The statement added that any candidate submissions made under Gombe’s authority were “neither grounded in law nor supported by INEC’s own guidelines,” and described such parallel submissions as “null and void.” It cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, saying party candidates must emerge from duly recognised primaries and that only one validly nominated candidate may be submitted for each elective office.
Gombe’s faction said the upload was completed in compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s guidelines. “The ADC, under the able leadership of the National Chairman, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, has successfully concluded the uploading of its Presidential and National Assembly candidates on the INEC portal for the 2027 General Elections,” the faction said in a statement.
Atiku’s media office further alleged the development was part of a broader strategy to destabilise opposition parties and specifically referenced Prof. Joash Amupitan’s appointment, saying it had enabled “the weakening of the opposition parties by creating crisis even where none exists.”
The matter highlights an internal dispute over ADC’s leadership. Neither INEC nor representatives for the Gombe or Mark factions had issued an independent comment at the time of these reports.
