Prosecute Nafiu Bala over access to portal claim – ADC to INEC

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to prosecute the party’s factional National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, over claims that he uploaded candidates’ names on the Commission’s portal.

ADC’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi urged INEC to take all steps towards ensuring that Bala is prosecuted.

In a statement he signed, Abdullahi maintained that Bala was promoting falsehood, hence should be prosecuted according to the law.

Bala had claimed that his faction had obtained INEC’s access code and uploaded candidates for the 2027 general election.

The claim, which has been widely shared on social media, suggested that Bala’s faction had successfully completed the upload of candidates on INEC’s nomination portal.

But INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, described the claim as untrue, insisting that Bala is not recognised by the Commission as the national chairman of the ADC.

Reacting via a statement, Abdullahi said: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) welcomes the prompt clarification by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which unequivocally confirmed that the document circulated by Mr. Nafiu Bala purporting to show that he had obtained the Commission’s access code and uploaded candidates on behalf of the ADC for the 2027 general election was forged, and that the claim itself was entirely false.

“The issue before us is no longer simply about the continuous false statements that have been issued by Nafiu Bala Gombe at the behest of his sponsors. It is about the clear and unmistakeable attempt to mislead the Nigerian public.

“To publicly claim that one has gained access to INEC’s restricted nomination platform and exercised powers reserved for duly recognised party officials is a grave matter that deserves the immediate attention of law enforcement agencies.

“As a responsible party, the ADC therefore calls on INEC to take all the necessary steps to ensure that Mr. Nafiu Bala and anyone else involved in originating or promoting this falsehood are investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.”