The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that it issued an ADC INEC access code to the Nafiu Gombe-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), maintaining that only the leadership headed by Senator David Mark was authorised to access the candidate nomination portal for the 2027 general elections. The clarification comes amid growing confusion over which faction of the opposition party is legally recognised to submit candidates following recent legal disputes within the ADC.
Speaking on Tuesday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission’s records clearly show that the portal access was granted exclusively to the Senator David Mark-led leadership.
According to him, the commission approved the ADC INEC access code for the Mark faction before the Court of Appeal delivered its judgment nullifying the party’s state congresses. Haruna disclosed that the recognised leadership had already uploaded more than 400 candidates for national elections, including the party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees.
“We never issued any access code to the Nafiu Gombe faction. Before the Court of Appeal judgment, we had already issued the code to the Sen. Mark faction, and they had submitted over 400 names and particulars of their candidates for the national-level elections, including the president and his running mate,” Haruna said.
The clarification follows a statement issued on July 12 by Nafiu Gombe, who described himself as the ADC National Chairman.
Gombe claimed his leadership had successfully uploaded the names of the party’s presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates onto INEC’s nomination portal ahead of the 2027 elections. He said the exercise reflected the party’s determination to protect the interests of its founding members while presenting credible candidates capable of providing purposeful leadership and good governance.
The David Mark-led ADC leadership rejected Gombe’s claims, alleging that the rival faction relied on forged documents purportedly issued by INEC to create the impression that it had gained access to the nomination portal.
The party called on the electoral commission to investigate what it described as the unauthorised use of official documents, warning that such actions could undermine public confidence in the electoral process. According to the party, only the recognised leadership had lawful access to the commission’s nomination system.
ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar also criticised the electoral commission over the controversy, arguing that INEC had failed to publicly address the conflicting claims surrounding the candidate upload process.
He maintained that access to the nomination portal is only possible through codes issued by INEC in accordance with its electoral guidelines. Atiku questioned why the commission had neither confirmed nor denied the Gombe faction’s earlier announcement, warning that granting an ADC INEC access code to an unrecognised leadership would amount to a breach of its own rules.
He further accused the electoral body of displaying partisanship and referenced previous disputes involving the party’s leadership recognition, insisting that the Senator David Mark-led executive remains the valid leadership recognised by INEC. The latest clarification from the commission is expected to shape ongoing legal and political debates over the ADC’s leadership as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue.
