ADC asks INEC to probe alleged fake candidate upload by Nafiu Bala faction

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has dismissed claims by a faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe that it uploaded the names of a presidential candidate and other party nominees to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, nomination portal, describing the assertion as false and legally impossible.

The party also called on INEC to investigate what it described as the alleged forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly issued by the Commission, warning that such actions could undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

In a statement issued on Monday, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party had formally notified INEC of the development and urged the electoral umpire to take appropriate action against those behind the alleged misrepresentation.

Mr Abdullahi maintained that the claim by the Bala Gombe faction was baseless, insisting that INEC grants access to its nomination portal and issues nomination codes only to the leadership it officially recognises.

According to him, the Commission cannot issue multiple nomination codes to different groups within the same political party, as doing so would compromise the integrity of the candidate nomination process.

“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 question, therefore, is straightforward: where is the evidence of this purported upload by a group of individuals not known by law or the electoral body?” he said.

The ADC spokesman further alleged that documents purportedly emanating from INEC had been forged and used without authorisation to create confusion over the party’s leadership and nomination process.

“We are also, by this statement, 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 statement added.

The latest development is the newest twist in the leadership dispute within the ADC, as rival factions continue to lay claim to the party’s structure ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections.