The leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the rival faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe of attempting to deceive Nigerians through what it described as a false claim that it had uploaded the names of a presidential candidate and other nominees onto the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the claim as “a blatant lie” and called on INEC to immediately investigate the alleged forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly issued by the electoral commission.
The party maintained that the Gombe-led group’s assertion was inconsistent with INEC’s established nomination procedures, stressing that access to the commission’s nomination portal is granted only to the leadership officially recognised by the electoral body.
“The claim is a blatant lie. And it is quite easy to verify why,” Abdullahi said.
“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.”
According to the ADC, accepting the rival faction’s claim would amount to suggesting that anyone could gain access to the commission’s nomination portal and unlawfully present themselves as the legitimate leadership of a registered political 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 question, therefore, is straightforward: where is the evidence of this purported upload by a group of individuals not known by law or the electoral body?” he queried.
The opposition party further alleged that documents purportedly originating from INEC were being deployed without authorisation in an attempt to create confusion over the party’s leadership and the authenticity of its nomination process.
“We are also, by this statement, formally drawing the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 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,” Abdullahi stated.
“We trust that the Commission will investigate this matter and take the necessary steps to correct this blatant misrepresentation.”
The ADC described the development as part of a calculated campaign to mislead the public and destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Even as ridiculous as this claim appears, it is nothing more than another scheme to create doubts and confusion in the minds of unsuspecting members of the public,” the statement added.
Rejecting suggestions that the party was divided into factions, the ADC insisted that it has only one legally recognised national leadership and that INEC had granted nomination portal access exclusively to that leadership.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the African Democratic Congress is not factionalised. INEC has issued nomination portal access only to the leadership it recognises, and that leadership has duly concluded the party’s nomination process in accordance with the Electoral Act and the Commission’s guidelines.”
Reaffirming its position on the 2027 presidential race, the party disclosed that it had successfully concluded its nomination exercise and uploaded the particulars of its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, to the INEC nomination portal.
“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 declared.
The party urged its members, supporters, the media and Nigerians to disregard what it described as false narratives being circulated by “agents of distraction” and rely solely on official communications from the recognised leadership.
It added that despite the ongoing leadership dispute, its focus remained on presenting what it called a credible alternative for Nigerians in the 2027 elections, with priorities centred on tackling insecurity, reducing the cost of living, reviving the economy and creating jobs.