ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused a faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe of forging documents allegedly issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to falsely claim that it uploaded the names of the party’s presidential candidate and other nominees to the Commission’s nomination portal.
The party called on INEC to investigate what it described as the forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly linked to the electoral body, warning that the development could mislead the public and undermine confidence in the Commission’s credibility.
In a statement issued by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party dismissed the reported upload as false, insisting that only the leadership officially recognised by INEC has access to the Commission’s nomination portal.
According to Abdullahi, the alleged claim was inconsistent with INEC’s established procedures.
“We are formally drawing the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission to what appears to be the forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly emanating from the Commission in a manner capable of creating confusion and undermining public confidence in its integrity and reputation as Nigeria’s electoral umpire. We trust that the Commission will investigate this matter and take the necessary steps to correct this blatant misrepresentation,” he said.
The ADC maintained that INEC does not grant nomination portal access or issue nomination codes to any leadership it does not officially recognise.
The party further argued that the Commission would not generate multiple nomination codes for the same political party, noting that such a practice would allow unauthorised groups to submit names and falsely claim legitimacy.
“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 statement read.
The ADC challenged those behind the claim to present credible evidence proving that any upload had been made through the INEC nomination portal.
It described the development as a deliberate attempt to create uncertainty and mislead members of the public regarding the party’s leadership and nomination process.
The party also dismissed reports suggesting that it was experiencing a leadership crisis, insisting that the leadership recognised by INEC had successfully concluded its nomination process in line with the Electoral Act and the Commission’s guidelines.
According to the party, the names of its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, had already been submitted to INEC through the appropriate channel.
“As we informed the public last week, 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,” Abdullahi stated.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, the ADC said it anticipated further attempts to distract the party and create confusion but stressed that it would remain focused on providing Nigerians with what it described as a credible political alternative.
The party said its priorities include improving national security, addressing the rising cost of living, revitalising the economy, creating employment opportunities and returning the country to the path of sustainable development.
It urged party members, supporters, media organisations and the general public to disregard what it described as misleading claims by “agents of distraction” and rely only on official communications issued through the party’s authorised channels.
ADC Alleges Forgery of INEC Documents, Seeks Probe Over Fake Nomination Portal Claim
