Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has firmly denied claims by a factional leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, that he was granted access to the commission’s nomination portal to upload the party’s candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The electoral body described the widely circulated reports as false, misleading and without any basis, dismissing assertions that Bala’s faction had successfully accessed INEC’s nomination portal and submitted candidates for the forthcoming elections.
The controversy erupted after claims spread across social media and several online platforms alleging that Bala had obtained the commission’s official access code and completed the nomination process on behalf of the ADC.
Reacting to the development, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, unequivocally refuted the reports, stressing that the commission has not granted Nafiu Bala or his faction access to its nomination portal.
She further clarified that Bala is not recognised by INEC as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), making any claims regarding the submission of candidates through the commission’s portal entirely unfounded.
The commission’s response comes amid lingering leadership disputes within the ADC, with competing factions laying claim to the party’s national leadership. INEC, however, maintained that its actions remain guided strictly by the law and its official records, urging members of the public to disregard misinformation capable of misleading Nigerians and undermining confidence in the electoral process.
The clarification reinforces INEC’s position that only duly recognised political party officials are entitled to engage with the commission on matters relating to candidate nominations and other electoral processes.
