INEC denies altering NDC list, says candidates were party submissions

The Independent National Electoral Commission has rejected allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress that it removed the party’s nominated candidates from some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue states and replaced them with unauthorised names.

INEC said its records showed that the disputed candidates were listed on Form EC9E submitted to the commission and duly signed by the NDC National Chairman and National Secretary.

Earlier, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, had said the commission would rely on its electronic and documentary records to establish what happened, stressing that “It is, therefore, possible to establish objectively the history and source of entries relating to any candidate whose name appears on the portal,” Oketola said.

Reaffirming its position on, the commission made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.

“As a matter of fact, the Commission has in its possession, Form EC9E where these candidates were listed and submitted to the Commission duly signed by the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party,” the statement said.