ADC Rejects Nafiu Bala’s Claim Of Uploading Candidates To INEC Portal

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has denied reports claiming that a group led by Nafiu Bala Gombe uploaded the names of presidential and other candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal, describing the allegation as false and calling for an investigation into what it termed the forgery and unauthorised use of INEC documents.

The party, in a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, urged INEC to investigate the claim and take appropriate steps to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.

According to the statement, the report was a deliberate misrepresentation that could easily be disproved.

“The claim is a blatant lie. And it is quite easy to verify why.

“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 party stated.

The ADC questioned the basis of the claim, asking where the evidence was that an unrecognised group had accessed and uploaded candidates to the INEC portal.

It further argued that the alleged use of documents purportedly issued by INEC was capable of misleading the public and eroding confidence in the electoral body.

“We trust that the Commission will investigate this matter and take the necessary steps to correct this blatant misrepresentation,” the statement added.

The party maintained that it remained united and was not divided into factions, stressing that INEC had granted nomination portal access only to the leadership officially recognised by the Commission.

It added that the recognised leadership had concluded its nomination process in line with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the details of our Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, and our Vice-Presidential Candidate, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, CON, have been uploaded on the INEC portal. Those are the facts,” the statement said.

The ADC also alleged that attempts would continue to be made to distract the party and mislead Nigerians as preparations for the 2027 general election gathered momentum.

It, however, said it would remain focused on offering Nigerians what it described as a credible alternative capable of addressing insecurity, the rising cost of living, economic challenges and unemployment.

The party urged its members, supporters, the media and the public to disregard what it called agents of distraction and rely only on official communications issued through its authorised channels.