The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied claims by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, that it granted a rival faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) access to its candidate nomination portal.
A senior official of the commission, who spoke on condition of anonymity with Punch, said only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ADC, led by former Senate President David Mark, was recognised by INEC.
The official stated this in an exclusive interview on Tuesday while responding to allegations from Atiku’s Media Office that the commission issued access codes to the faction led by Nafiu Gombe.
Naijaonpoint reports that Atiku’s media team had on Monday accused INEC of aiding efforts to weaken the opposition by allegedly allowing Gombe’s faction to upload candidates’ names despite the commission’s recognition of the David Mark-led leadership.
The former vice president’s camp also accused the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, of worsening internal crises within opposition parties and advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 general election.
INEC, however, rejected the allegations, insisting that its decisions were guided by the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the commission’s regulations.
The INEC official said the commission did not issue any access codes to Gombe or members of his faction.
The official said, “INEC did not give access codes to Nafiu Gombe as claimed by Atiku’s Media Office. INEC operates based on the legal framework guiding elections and the electoral system in Nigeria.
“Of course, we are talking about the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, the Electoral Act, and INEC’s guidelines and regulations.”
According to the official, the commission’s records recognise Mark as the ADC national chairman and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as the party’s national secretary.
The official added, “So, based on that, the recognised leadership of ADC, according to our records, is that of the Senator David Mark-led leadership.
“If you go to our portal right now, Senator David Mark is the chairman of the ADC, while Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is the secretary.”
The official maintained that INEC had no dealings with Gombe concerning the submission of candidates.
“According to records, INEC did not give Nafiu Gombe access codes. So, whatever anyone is saying, we are not really interested,” the official said.
The commission further said Gombe lacked the legal standing to submit candidates’ names because INEC did not recognise him as the ADC national chairman.
The official said, “It’s as good as saying that Nafiu Gombe cannot upload the names of candidates on the INEC portal because he is not the officially recognised chairman of the ADC.
“Gombe, or any of his agents, aides or close allies, did not get any access codes from INEC to upload names of candidates.
“In fact, the question is, which portal did they upload the names? INEC does not recognise anything from Nafiu Gombe.”
The commission also dismissed claims that Amupitan was involved in the ADC leadership dispute or attempting to undermine opposition parties.
The official further stated, “The allegation by Atiku’s Media Office that Amupitan is trying to weaken opposition parties is a baseless allegation.
“The attempt to drag Amupitan into political parties’ internal crisis is an exercise in futility.”
The official argued that the INEC chairman was not responsible for the court cases or internal disagreements within the ADC.
“Amupitan did not go to court. Amupitan did not drag Nafiu Gombe to court and Amupitan did not drag the David Mark-led ADC to court; it’s a party crisis, so why are they trying to drag Amupitan into it?” the official asked.
“The allegations are baseless. They should rather focus on strengthening their party than blaming Amupitan for their problems.”
The official reiterated that Gombe remained unrecognised by the commission and could not access the nomination platform.
