INEC published 10 people as NDC candidates in Anambra — the party says it never nominated them

• The NDC says 10 people were listed by INEC as its candidates for different Anambra State House of Assembly constituencies, despite not being nominated by the party.

• NDC National Chairman Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe alleges the disputed names were uploaded after the party submitted its own list and says INEC collected nomination forms directly from the affected candidates.

• INEC had not publicly responded to the specific allegation as of the time of filing, while the NDC says it plans to seek legal redress.

The dispute followed INEC’s publication of candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections on Sunday, August 30, 2026.

According to a statement published on The NDC's official X account, the names appearing under its platform in parts of Anambra do not match the list approved by the party after its primaries and appeals process.

The party’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, described the development as a serious electoral concern and called on INEC Chairman Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, to investigate how the disputed names came to appear on the commission’s list.

According to Zuwoghe and the NDC, the people listed as NDC candidates in the affected Anambra constituencies are:

1. Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa - Onitsha South 1

2. Akpotue Obinna Chibuike - Onitsha South 2

3. Nwankwo Chiemerie - Orumba North

4. Maduagwu Eric K - Anaocha 1

5. Ngoebisi Obinna - Idemili North

6. Isintume Charles - Njikoka 1

7. Nwachukwu Nonso - Nnewi South

8. Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne - Nnewi South 2

9. Nnonyelu Samson E - Ayamelum

10. Azotani Chuks Francis - Dunukofia. 

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Zuwoghe said the controversy arose after the NDC completed its nomination process in Anambra.

According to him, stakeholders from Anambra, the party leadership, representatives of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and members of the appeals panel agreed on a final list after the primaries and appeal process.

He said the list was subsequently signed off and uploaded to the INEC candidate nomination portal using an access code provided to the party by the electoral commission.

The NDC chairman alleged that INEC officials then left nine of the party’s submitted names in “Pending” status.

He said the explanation given was that the names already existed in INEC’s system based on information submitted by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.

The party subsequently challenged the entries and submitted what it described as its legitimate candidate list.

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According to Zuwoghe, however, the disputed names remained on the system. He further alleged that INEC subsequently collected Form EC-9 directly from the people whose names were in dispute and uploaded the forms without going through the NDC.

He described this as evidence of what he called a deliberate attempt to impose candidates on the party.

“To further confirm that there was a predetermined effort on the part of INEC to impose the said nine candidates on the party and embarrass both NDC and Mr Peter Obi, INEC went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party, and uploading the same."

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Candidate nomination is one of the most consequential stages of an election because the names submitted and accepted through the process determine who appears on the ballot.

The controversy is therefore potentially significant for the affected NDC aspirants and their supporters, and it also comes at a sensitive point for the NDC, which is preparing for its first general election cycle as a recognised political party.

Recall that the party has also been involved in a legal dispute over its registration when, in June, a Federal High Court in Lokoja set aside an earlier judgement that had compelled INEC to register the NDC. 

The NDC has also alleged that similar problems may have occurred in other states. Zuwoghe specifically mentioned Benue and Imo, where he said the party had observed what it described as a similar pattern of its preferred candidates being left out and other names appearing instead.

The party has called for an investigation into the matter and said it would conduct its own investigation as well.

As of the time of filing, INEC had not publicly responded to the NDC’s specific allegation that it replaced the party’s candidates with unauthorised names in Anambra.

The commission’s current website lists the NDC among its recognised and certified political parties and identifies Zuwoghe as the party’s national chairman.