{
  "id": 4589093,
  "title": "INEC denies replacing NDC candidates for 2027 elections",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/inec-denies-replacing-ndc-candidates-for-2027-elections-4589093",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T07:10:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/inec-denies-replacing-ndc-candidates-for-2027-elections/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted claims by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that the body replaced NDC candidates in the 2027 general elections with unknown names. INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, addressed the allegations in a conversation with a correspondent on Monday. The NDC had posted on X (formerly Twitter) that nine unauthorised names were uploaded as candidates for some Anambra State House of Assembly constituencies. NDC National Chairman Moses Zuwoghe stated that this was especially troubling as Anambra is the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi. However, Oketola emphasized that INEC has no authority to nominate candidates for political parties or replace candidates with their preferred ones. He clarified that INEC’s role is to administer the electoral process according to the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and other relevant regulations. Political parties are responsible for nominating and submitting their candidates, and the candidate nomination portal provided by the commission is the platform for this process. Oketola stressed that electronic and documentary records would establish what happened, and any claims of INEC officials introducing or \"smuggling\" candidates into the NDC’s list should be based on these records. He also clarified that INEC’s role in monitoring political party primaries does not amount to the Commission nominating a candidate for the party. Any disputes over the validity of a party primary or its outcome must be resolved within the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws. Oketola urged the NDC to provide the Commission with evidence and details of any officials alleged to have interfered with the candidate nomination process, stating that any credible allegation of misconduct would be investigated according to established procedures.",
  "summary": "INEC denies allegations by the NDC that it replaced candidates for the 2027 elections, stating it has no legal authority to nominate or substitute INEC can Read More: https://punchng.com/inec-denies-replacing-ndc-candidates-for-2027-elections/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Trust",
        "title": "Ex-IGP’s name missing as INEC releases list of Nasarawa gov’ship candidates",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/ex-igps-name-missing-as-inec-releases-list-of-nasarawa-govship",
        "published": "2026-08-29T21:02:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Morning recap: Four reasons US shouldn’t release my FBI records –Tinubu, INEC unveils 2027 gov candidates, other top stories",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/morning-recap-four-reasons-us-shouldnt-release-my-fbi-records-tinubu",
        "published": "2026-08-30T06:58:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ripples Nigeria",
        "title": "2027: INEC releases details of governorship candidates (See list)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/2027-inec-releases-details-of-governorship-candidates-see-list",
        "published": "2026-08-30T08:50:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}