POLITICS
Provide Evidence of Alleged Replacement of Nominated Candidates, INEC Challenges NDC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has challenged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to provide evidence that the commission replaced ANY of its nominated candidates for 2027 general elections.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, stated this in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
Oketola said that the attention of INEC has been drawn to allegation by the NDC that the commission replaced some of the candidates purportedly nominated by the party with names alleged unknown to the party.
The allegation according to NDC is particularly in respect of some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra.
In his reaction, Oketola described the allegation that INEC went behind the NDC to obtain Form EC9 directly from individual aspirants and thereafter, uploaded their particulars as candidates without the authority of the party as serious.
He noted that such an allegation was capable of objective verification from the commission’s electronic and documentary records.
“Rather than make categorical assertions on matters that can readily be established from those records, the commission will examine the relevant records relating to the constituencies identified by the NDC.
“If the party has evidence implicating any official of the Commission in any unauthorised interference with its candidate nomination process, it should make such evidence and the particulars of the officials concerned available to the commission.
“Any credible allegation of misconduct by an official of the commission will be investigated in accordance with established procedures,” he said.
Oketola added that the allegations required some clarification regarding the role of INEC and the procedure for the nomination and submission of candidates by political parties.
“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties.
“The nomination of candidates is the responsibility of political parties, subject to compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws, Regulations and Guidelines,” he said.
Oketola explained that the commission did not possess the legal authority to select a candidate for a political party or substitute its own preferred candidate for a person validly nominated by a political party in accordance with the law.
He further said that the candidate nomination portal provided by INEC was the platform through which political parties submit the particulars of their candidates using access credentials issued for that purpose.
He added that the activities carried out in relation to the submission of candidates through the portal were electronically recorded and were capable of verification from the commission’s records and audit trail.
Oketola said it was therefore possible to establish objectively the history and source of entries relating to any candidate whose name appears on the portal.
“Accordingly, the allegation that officials of the commission introduced or “smuggled” candidates into the NDC’s list is not a matter that should be determined by speculation.
“The electronic and documentary records relating to the affected constituencies are capable of establishing the relevant facts.
“It is equally necessary to clarify the distinction between INEC’s responsibility to monitor political party primaries and the responsibility of political parties to nominate and submit their candidates,” he said.
Oketola said that INEC’s monitoring of a political party primary did not amount to nomination of a candidate by INEC.
He also added that a report made by officials who monitor a primary did not confer upon the commission the power to choose a candidate for the political party.
He explained that the monitoring process served the statutory purposes prescribed by law and did not transfer the party’s responsibility for nomination to the commission.
“Where questions arise as to the person validly emerged from a political party primary, the effect of an appeal arising from that primary, or the validity of any subsequent attempt to alter the outcome of the nomination process.
“Those questions must be resolved strictly within the framework of the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws.
“INEC cannot assume the role of a political party in choosing its candidates, nor can it disregard applicable statutory requirements governing the nomination and submission of candidates,” he said.
Oketola, however, emphasised that INEC had no institutional interest in the choice of candidate made by any political party.
He stressed that INEC’s responsibility is to administer the electoral process impartially and in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and applicable Regulations and Guidelines.
“Political parties also have a corresponding responsibility to ensure that their nomination processes, internal appeals, submission of candidates and use of the commission’s candidate nomination portal are undertaken strictly in accordance with the law and within the prescribed timelines,” he said.
Oketola reiterated that INEC would continue to discharge its responsibilities transparently, impartially and in accordance with the rule of law.
“Where legitimate concerns are raised concerning the candidate nomination process, the commission will address them on the basis of its records and the applicable law.
“The commission will neither nominate candidates for political parties nor lend itself to the imposition of candidates on any political party,” he said.(NAN)
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over a purported anti-North statement allegedly attributed to him.
A viral statement allegedly quoted Akpabio as threatening that Northerners would suffer if President Bola Tinubu lost the 2027 presidential election.
Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Media, Jackson Udom, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
Udom said the petition, signed by the Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, urged the DSS to urgently investigate the dissemination of the alleged false, inflammatory and divisive statement.
He said the graphic, bearing Akpabio’s photograph and designation, attributed the following words to him: ‘Northerners you will be the ones to suffer the most if you allow Tinubu to lose the election.’
“Unequivocally, the President of the Senate did not make this statement.
“No date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recordings, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate it.
“The graphic carries no identifiable publisher’s mark or verifiable source,” he said.
Udom said the statement appeared to have been deliberately manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation for the purpose of deceiving unsuspecting members of the public.
He said those behind the scheme intended to provoke regional resentment against Akpabio and portray him as threatening people in the Northern part of the country.
According to him, preliminary examination of publicly accessible Facebook records identified some persons as among the earliest traceable amplifiers of the purported fabricated graphic.
He listed the persons as Abdullai Musa, who posted the graphic in a Facebook group styled ‘Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24”.
Others were Uzoma Chilaka, whose Facebook post allegedly reproduced the graphic commentary expressly credited to him, and Ibrahim Ammar, a verified Facebook account that subsequently reproduced the graphic and similar commentary.
“These persons should not be presumed guilty before investigation.
“Nevertheless, their early and substantial roles in circulating the material make them persons of interest, who may possess information capable of identifying the graphic designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and distribution network,” he said.
Udom said their publication records, devices, communications and the provenance of the image should therefore be investigated in accordance with the law. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has commended the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for its strides in innovation and technological development, assuring the agency of the Federal Government’s continued support.
Akume gave the commendation on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, in Abuja when he received NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, members of his management team and winners of the agency’s Innovation Assessment and Award Competition.
The SGF described NASENI’s inter-agency and intra-agency innovation competition for federal civil and public servants and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as a significant milestone in efforts to develop home-grown solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
He said the innovative products emerging from the competition could have significant implications for national security, food sovereignty and healthcare, adding that the achievements demonstrated the depth of talent and ingenuity among young Nigerians.
“Nigeria has talents. I don’t doubt about that. Wherever you go in the world, Nigerians are recognized as people with lot of talents and people with a great future,” Akume said.
He also praised NASENI for adopting what he described as a transparent and non-partisan process in selecting and assessing the innovations, saying the credibility of the competition would encourage more Nigerians to come forward with innovative ideas.
Akume expressed optimism that sustained government support could enable Nigeria to attain greater technological heights, including developing advanced aerospace capabilities.
“Tomorrow, who knows, Nigeria can manufacture rockets that can send people to the moon. And this can be the courtesy of NASENI,” he said.
Earlier, Halilu said the award programme was designed to identify and recognise outstanding contributions by civil and public servants through both inter-agency and intra-agency competitions.
He said NASENI’s innovation strategy goes beyond developing technological products to equipping innovators with skills needed to commercialise their ideas successfully.
According to him, technical and engineering expertise must be complemented by competencies in accounting, marketing and business development for innovations to achieve their full potential.
Halilu disclosed that NASENI had, in about two years, facilitated the establishment of 20 factories across the country and developed more than 40 products as part of efforts to transform research and innovation into commercially viable solutions.
He added that the agency had also introduced programmes aimed at identifying and nurturing innovators from an early age. One of the initiatives, the Future Makers Programme, targets children between five and 15 years to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering and innovation.
The meeting also featured demonstrations by representatives of two of the six winners of the innovation competition.
A team from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) showcased a security jacket equipped with technology designed to facilitate real-time communication with the command-and-control centres of security agencies, potentially improving coordination and response.
The winning team from NASENI, meanwhile, presented a commercial electronic platform designed to serve as a digital marketplace through which MDAs can promote and market their goods and services.
Akume congratulated NASENI and the winners of the competition, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for research, innovation and technological development in Nigeria.
From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress has taken Osun state Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election to court as the petition is now on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo.
The papers went up on Monday, 7 September.
Tribunal secretary Pefe Belemore had said the notices would be displayed before noon. Secretariat staff were already in the courtroom as preparations for sitting continued.Two petitions challenge the 15 August result that returned Adeleke for another term.
The APC case, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, against Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Peoples Democratic Party case, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was filed by Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola against Adeleke, INEC and Accord.
Display of the petitions is a procedural step. The parties must still be served before full hearing begins. Adeleke remains the declared winner. The detailed grounds of each petition have not been published. The tribunal has not issued a ruling.
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