ADC Accuses Rival Group of Forging INEC Documents, Says Atiku’s Presidential Nomination Already Uploaded

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused a faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe of forging documents allegedly linked to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in an attempt to falsely claim that it submitted a separate list of presidential and other candidates through the electoral body’s nomination portal.

The party described the alleged move as a deliberate attempt to mislead Nigerians and damage confidence in INEC’s electoral processes. It has now called on the commission to investigate the matter and take action against those responsible for what it described as the unauthorised use of official documents.

In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC insisted that only the leadership officially recognised by INEC has access to the commission’s nomination portal. He argued that the claim by the rival group could not be genuine because INEC does not issue portal access or nomination codes to unrecognised party executives.

“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 said.

The party further maintained that INEC cannot issue multiple nomination codes to different groups within the same political party, warning that such a practice would undermine the integrity of the electoral system.

“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. 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 statement added.

ADC challenged those making the claims to publicly provide evidence that they had successfully uploaded any candidate details to the commission’s portal, insisting that no such proof has been presented.

Reaffirming that there is no leadership crisis within the party, the ADC said it had already completed its nomination process in line with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines. The party disclosed that the names of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, have already been submitted to the electoral commission.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, the opposition party said it expects more attempts to create confusion but vowed to remain focused on its campaign. It urged members, supporters, journalists and the public to disregard unofficial statements and rely only on communications released through the party’s recognised leadership.