The lawmaker representing Dunukofia Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Francis Chuks Azotani, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission over the publication of his name as the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress for the 2027 general election.
Azotani, who is also Chairman of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, said he remained a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance and had neither defected from the party nor indicated any intention to contest the 2027 election on the platform of the NDC.
In a letter addressed to the INEC Chairman in Abuja, the lawmaker described the publication of his name as an NDC candidate for Dunukofia State Constituency as a mix-up and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
He stated, “I wish to state categorically that there was a mix up that led to my name appearing as Candidate of NDC for Dunukofia State Constituency.
“I am still a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and have neither defected from the party nor announced any intention to do so on the floor of the legislative chamber.”
Azotani further clarified that he was not contesting any election in 2027 under the NDC or any other political party.
“Presently, I am not contesting any election as a Candidate of NDC or any party in the 2027 general election,” he said.
The lawmaker consequently urged INEC to urgently remove his name from the NDC candidate list and rectify the publication on its portal.
His complaint comes against the backdrop of an earlier dispute between the NDC and INEC over the commission’s publication of candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections.
On August 30, the NDC accused INEC of allegedly replacing candidates nominated by the party with names it said were unknown to its leadership.
The party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, had alleged that the development was particularly pronounced in Anambra, the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
According to Zuwoghe, 10 names were published by INEC as NDC candidates in various Anambra constituencies despite allegedly not being authorised or submitted by the party.
Among the names listed by the party was Azotani Chuks Francis for Dunukofia Constituency.
The NDC chairman claimed that after its primaries and appeal process, the party produced a final list of candidates which was signed off by relevant stakeholders before being uploaded to the INEC portal.
He alleged that INEC officials subsequently kept nine names on “Pending” status, claiming that the commission’s system already contained the names submitted by its officials who monitored the party’s primaries.
Zuwoghe further alleged that despite the party’s objections, INEC obtained Form EC-9 directly from the affected individuals and uploaded their details, leading to their eventual publication as NDC candidates.
The party described the development as unacceptable and vowed to pursue the matter until the alleged discrepancies were reversed.
However, INEC rejected the allegation, insisting that it neither had the legal authority nor the institutional mandate to nominate candidates for political parties.
The commission, through the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said candidate nomination remained the responsibility of political parties in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and relevant guidelines.
“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties,” Oketola said.
He explained that parties submit their candidates through INEC’s nomination portal using access credentials provided by the commission, adding that all transactions on the platform are electronically recorded.
Oketola said the records create an audit trail capable of establishing the source and history of entries relating to candidates appearing on the portal.
He therefore challenged the NDC to provide evidence and details of any INEC officials allegedly responsible for introducing unauthorised candidates.
According to him, claims that INEC officials collected Form EC-9 from candidates and uploaded their details without the party’s approval could be verified through the commission’s electronic and documentary records.
He also stressed that while INEC has a statutory duty to monitor party primaries, such monitoring does not confer on the commission the power to select candidates for political parties.
“Neither does a report made by officials who monitor a primary confer upon the Commission the power to choose a candidate for the political party,” he said.
