Atiku Fingers INEC in Tinubu's Alleged Scheme as ADC Faction Submits 2027 Candidates

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, identified in the report as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of facilitating a purported plan by President Bola Tinubu's administration to undermine opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections. In a statement released on Monday by his media office, Atiku asserted that the electoral body acted illegally by granting access to its candidate nomination portal to Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is described as merely claiming the national chairmanship of the ADC. The statement reiterated that the leadership under Senator David Mark remains the officially recognized executive of the party.

This accusation follows Gombe's announcement on Saturday that he had successfully uploaded the names of ADC candidates to INEC's portal, a procedure exclusively for political parties participating in the upcoming 2027 general election. According to Atiku, the commission has failed to provide clarity on the circumstances surrounding the alleged access given to Gombe, an action he claims contravenes both legal provisions and INEC's established guidelines.

“By granting access code to Bala Gombe, a pretender laying claim to the chairmanship of the ADC, though the law is not on his side and INEC has since validated the chairmanship of the Sen. David Mark-led executive, the electoral umpire is once again manifesting its partisanship,” the statement read. It further suggested that this action mirrors previous decisions by the commission, which, it alleges, contributed to internal conflicts within the party.

The media office maintained that Gombe's purported submission of candidates lacks any legal foundation, arguing that he is not the recognized national chairman of the ADC. “The so-called successful uploading of candidates by Nafiu Bala Gombe is neither grounded in law nor supported by INEC’s own guidelines. Nafiu Bala Gombe is not recognised as ADC chairman. David Mark is duly recognised. Can there be two recognised chairmen of a political party? Certainly not,” the statement emphasized.

Questioning the commission's handling of the situation, the Atiku Media Office contended that providing portal access to an unrecognized party leadership could instigate unnecessary disputes among the opposition. It further alleged that this development is part of a broader strategy to destabilize opposition parties before the next general election. “What INEC has done is a recipe for crisis and confirms that Prof. Joash Amupitan was appointed to enable the weakening of the opposition parties by creating crisis even where none exists,” the statement claimed.

The media office also referenced sections of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, asserting that political party candidates must emerge from properly recognized primaries supervised by INEC, and only one validly nominated candidate can be submitted for each elective position. “The INEC granting of access code to Nafiu Bala Gombe is unconstitutional and unlawful. The only submitted candidates known to the law are those of David Mark. Any parallel submission such as Nafiu Bala Gombe’s is null and void,” it concluded.

Meanwhile, a faction of the ADC confirmed it had uploaded its presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 General Election to the INEC candidate nomination portal. This faction stated that the upload of candidates' details was completed under the leadership of Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, in compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC's electoral guidelines. As part of this exercise, the ADC formally announced Dr. Shamsuddeen Modibbo Barkindo as its vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 election. In a statement, Gombe described the completion of the candidate submission process as a significant step in the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Gombe stated: “The African Democratic Congress, ADC, under the able leadership of the National Chairman, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, has successfully concluded the uploading of its Presidential and National Assembly candidates on the INEC portal for the 2027 General Elections. The exercise was carried out in strict compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and the guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. In line with this milestone, the Party, with a profound sense of humility and responsibility, is pleased to announce its Vice-Presidential candidate for the forthcoming elections in person of Dr. Shamsuddeen Modibbo Barkindo. The ADC remains committed to presenting credible, competent, and people oriented leadership that will deliver good governance and renewed hope to Nigerians.”