Electoral commission denies issuing nomination portal codes to rival ADC faction, dismisses allegations of political bias…..
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that it granted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) faction led by Nafiu Gombe access to its candidate nomination portal.
Responding to the claims, a senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PUNCH Online that the commission recognises only the National Executive Committee headed by former Senate President David Mark and has not issued nomination portal access to any rival faction.
The commission was reacting to allegations made on Monday by Atiku’s Media Office, which accused INEC of aiding efforts to weaken the opposition by allegedly granting Gombe access to upload candidates’ names, despite officially recognising the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC.
Atiku’s camp also alleged that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, was being drawn into actions aimed at deepening internal divisions within opposition parties and advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 general election.
Rejecting the allegations, the INEC official insisted that the commission conducts its affairs strictly in line with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and its established regulations.
“INEC did not give access codes to Nafiu Gombe as claimed by Atiku’s Media Office. INEC operates based on the legal framework guiding elections and the electoral system in Nigeria.
“Of course, we are talking about the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, the Electoral Act, and INEC’s guidelines and regulations.
“So, based on that, the recognised leadership of ADC, according to our records, is that of the Senator David Mark-led leadership. If you go to our portal right now, Senator David Mark is the chairman of the ADC, while Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is the Secretary.
“According to records, INEC did not give Nafiu Gombe access codes. So, whatever anyone is saying, we are not really interested.”
The official further maintained that Gombe lacks the legal authority to submit candidates’ names through INEC’s nomination portal because he is not recognised by the commission as the party’s chairman.
“It’s as good as saying that Nafiu Gombe cannot upload the names of candidates on the INEC portal because he is not the officially recognised chairman of the ADC. Gombe, or any of his agents, aides or close allies did not get any access codes from INEC to upload names of candidates. In fact, the question is which portal did they upload the names? INEC does not recognise anything from Nafiu Gombe.”
INEC also dismissed allegations linking its chairman to the leadership dispute within the ADC, describing the claims as unfounded.
“The allegation by Atiku’s Media Office that Amupitan is trying to weaken opposition parties is a baseless allegation. The attempt to drag Amupitan into political parties’ internal crisis is an exercise in futility.
“Amupitan did not go to court. Amupitan did not drag Nafiu Gombe to court and Amupitan did not drag the David Mark-led ADC to court; it’s a party crisis, so why are they trying to drag Amupitan into it?
“The allegations are baseless. They should rather focus on strengthening their party than blaming Amupitan for their problems.
“As I earlier mentioned, Nafiu Gombe is not officially recognised and cannot have access to upload the names of candidates on INEC’s portal.”
The controversy followed a statement by Atiku’s Media Office alleging that Gombe had claimed to have uploaded the names of ADC candidates to INEC’s nomination portal, an action the former vice president described as evidence of partisanship by the electoral umpire.
The ADC also rejected the claim. In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said INEC recognises only the David Mark-led leadership and could not have issued a separate nomination portal access code to any rival faction.
The party further called on the electoral commission to investigate what it described as the alleged forgery and unauthorised use of INEC documents after the rival faction claimed it had uploaded the names of the party’s presidential candidate and other nominees.
The leadership crisis within the ADC has deepened since the emergence of David Mark as National Chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, appointments being challenged by rival factions as political realignments gather pace ahead of the 2027 general election.
