The Atiku Media Office has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of enabling the alleged upload of candidates for the 2027 general elections by a faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the media office claimed that INEC granted Bala Gombe access to the commission’s candidate upload portal despite recognising the Senator David Mark-led executive of the ADC.
The statement followed a claim by Bala Gombe that his faction had successfully uploaded the names of its presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates on the INEC portal 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,” Bala Gombe said.
He added that the development showed the party’s commitment to presenting credible candidates for the 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. As a Party, the ADC remains resolute in its mission to field credible, competent, and people-centered candidates who will provide purposeful leadership, promote good governance, and bring hope to the Nigerian people,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the Atiku Media Office alleged that the upload could only have happened because INEC granted Bala Gombe access to the portal.
“By granting access code to Bala Gombe, a pretender, laying claims to the chairmanship of the ADC, though the law is not on his side and INEC has since validated the chairmanship of the Sen. David Mark-led exco, the electoral umpire is once again manifesting its partisanship,” the statement said.
The media office further alleged that Bala Gombe was not recognised as the party’s national chairman and insisted that only the David Mark-led leadership had the legal authority to submit candidates.
“The so-called ‘successful’ uploading of ‘candidates’ by Nafiu Bala Gombe is neither grounded in law or supported by INEC’s own guidelines. Nafiu Bala Gombe is not recognised as ADC Chairman. Mark is duly recognised,” it stated.
The Atiku Media Office also accused the electoral commission of creating unnecessary disputes within opposition parties.
“What INEC has done is a recipe for crisis and confirms that Prof. Joash Amupitan was appointed to enable the weakening of the opposition parties by creating crisis even where none exists,” it alleged.
It maintained that the access code allegedly granted to Bala Gombe was unlawful.
“The INEC granting of access code to Nafiu Bala Gombe is unconstitutional and unlawful. The only submitted candidates known to the law are those of David Mark. Any parallel submission such as Nafiu Bala Gombe’s is null and void,” the statement added.
The media office also called on the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to stop what it described as interference in the affairs of the ADC and other opposition parties, alleging that such actions were helping President Bola Tinubu’s alleged agenda of weakening the opposition.