The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that it issued an ADC access code to the Nafiu Bala Gombe-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), maintaining that only the Senator David Mark-led leadership was authorised to submit candidates for the 2027 General Elections. The clarification comes amid growing uncertainty within the opposition party over which faction has the legal authority to upload candidates to INEC’s nomination portal.
Speaking on Tuesday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission’s records clearly show that the portal access code was issued exclusively to the David Mark-led leadership.
According to him, the commission granted the access before the Court of Appeal delivered its judgment concerning the party’s state congresses. Haruna disclosed that the recognised leadership had already completed the submission of more than 400 candidates for national elections, including the party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees. He stressed that no access code was issued to the Nafiu Gombe faction.
The clarification follows a statement issued by Nafiu Bala Gombe on July 12, 2026, in which he announced that his leadership had successfully uploaded the names of the party’s presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates to the INEC portal.
Gombe said the exercise demonstrated the party’s determination to protect the interests of its founding members and field credible candidates for the 2027 elections. The announcement immediately sparked fresh controversy within the party, with rival leaders questioning how the upload could have taken place.
The David Mark-led ADC leadership rejected Gombe’s claim, alleging that the rival faction relied on forged documents purportedly issued by INEC to create the impression that it had access to the commission’s nomination portal.
The party called on the electoral commission to investigate what it described as the unauthorised use of official documents, warning that such actions could undermine confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process. ADC leaders insisted that only the leadership recognised by INEC has the legal authority to submit candidates for the general elections.
Earlier, ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar criticised the electoral commission over the controversy, arguing that its silence had created confusion. He maintained that access to the nomination portal is only possible after INEC issues official portal credentials to recognised political party leadership.
According to Atiku, if the Gombe faction truly uploaded candidates, INEC should publicly explain how such access was obtained. He further accused the commission of allegedly showing bias if it had allowed a faction not officially recognised by INEC to participate in the nomination process.
INEC’s latest clarification directly contradicts claims by the Gombe-led faction, with the commission insisting that it neither issued portal credentials nor granted nomination access to that group.
The commission maintained that all official submissions already received on the nomination portal were made by the Senator David Mark-led leadership before the recent Court of Appeal judgment on the party’s internal leadership dispute. The latest development adds another chapter to the ongoing crisis within the ADC as competing factions continue to battle over the party’s leadership and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
