The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims by the faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Nafiu Bala Gombe that it uploaded candidates for the 2027 general elections, insisting it never granted the group access to its candidate nomination portal.
The clarification comes after Gombe, in a statement dated July 12, 2026, announced that his faction had successfully submitted the names of its presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates to INEC.
According to Gombe, the exercise demonstrated his faction’s determination to protect the interests of the party’s founding members while presenting what he described as credible and people-oriented candidates for the 2027 elections.
“The African Democratic Congress, ADC, under my leadership, has successfully completed the upload of our Presidential, Vice-Presidential, and National Assembly candidates on the INEC portal for the 2027 General Elections.
“This achievement demonstrates our Party’s firm commitment to safeguarding the interests of our founding and legacy members in the face of anti-democratic tendencies,” he had stated.
However, INEC has categorically rejected the claim.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the leadership tussle within the opposition party, the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, stated that no nomination portal code was ever issued to Gombe’s faction.
Haruna maintained that the only group recognised by the electoral umpire for the purpose of candidate nominations was the faction led by former Senate President David Mark.
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According to him, the commission’s records clearly show that access to the nomination portal was granted solely to the Mark-led leadership, which had already completed the upload of hundreds of candidates before the recent Court of Appeal judgment that nullified the party’s state congresses.
“We never issued any access code to the Nafiu Gombe faction,” Haruna said.
He explained that before the appellate court delivered its judgment, INEC had already recognised the David Mark-led leadership for the nomination process and provided it with the necessary credentials to access the portal.
“Before the Court of Appeal judgement, we had already issued the code to the Sen. Mark faction and they had submitted over 400 names and particulars of their candidates for the national level elections, including the president and his running mate,” Haruna stated.
The development comes amid growing confusion over the authentic leadership of the ADC and which faction is legally empowered to represent the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC’s latest clarification appears to reinforce its recognition of the David Mark-led leadership, effectively dismissing claims by the Gombe faction that it had successfully uploaded candidates onto the commission’s nomination portal.