Chuks Okocha and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of aiding what it described as an alleged agenda by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to weaken opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement by his media office on Monday, Atiku said the electoral umpire acted unlawfully by granting access to its candidate nomination portal to Nafiu Bala Gombe, whom it described as a claimant to the national chairmanship of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
It maintained that Senator David Mark’s leadership remained the recognised party executive.
The statement followed Gombe’s announcement on Saturday that he had successfully uploaded the names of ADC candidates to INEC’s portal, a process reserved for political parties participating in the 2027 general election.
According to Atiku, the commission has failed to clarify the circumstances surrounding the alleged access granted to Gombe, a development it said contradicted both the law and INEC’s own guidelines.
“By granting access code to Bala Gombe, a pretender laying claim 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 executive, the electoral umpire is once again manifesting its partisanship,” the statement read.
It further alleged that the action mirrored previous decisions by the commission, which it claimed contributed to internal disputes within the party.
The media office insisted that Gombe’s purported submission of candidates lacked legal backing because, according to it, he was not the recognised national chairman of the ADC.
“The so-called successful uploading of candidates by Nafiu Bala Gombe is neither grounded in law nor supported by INEC’s own guidelines.
“Nafiu Bala Gombe is not recognised as ADC chairman. David Mark is duly recognised. Can there be two recognised chairmen of a political party? Certainly not,” it stated.
Questioning the commission’s handling of the matter, the Atiku Media Office argued that granting access to an unrecognised party leadership could trigger avoidable disputes within the opposition.
It also alleged that the development was part of a broader strategy to destabilise opposition parties ahead of the next general election.
“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,” the statement alleged.
The media office further cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, arguing that candidates of political parties must emerge through duly recognised primaries supervised by INEC and that only one validly nominated candidate can be submitted for each elective office.
“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,” it maintained.
ADC Faction Uploads 2027 Presidential, NASS, Other Candidates to INEC’s Portal
A faction of the ADC, said it has uploaded its presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 General Election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) candidate nomination portal.
The party said the upload of the candidates’ particulars on the INEC portal was completed under the leadership of Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and the electoral guidelines issued by the commission.
As part of the exercise, the ADC formally announced Dr. Shamsuddeen Modibbo Barkindo as its vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement by Gombe, the party described the completion of the candidate submission process as a significant milestone in its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Gombe said: “The African Democratic Congress, ADC, under the able leadership of the National Chairman, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, has successfully concluded the uploading of its Presidential and National Assembly candidates on the INEC portal for the 2027 General Elections.
“The exercise was carried out in strict compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and the guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“In line with this milestone, the Party, with a profound sense of humility and responsibility, is pleased to announce its Vice-Presidential candidate for the forthcoming elections in person of Dr. Shamsuddeen Modibbo Barkindo.
“The ADC remains committed to presenting credible, competent, and people oriented leadership that will deliver good governance and renewed hope to Nigerians.”