The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that it issued a candidate nomination portal 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 platform.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, made the clarification on Tuesday amid growing controversy over which ADC faction is recognised to submit candidates for the 2027 general elections.
According to Haruna, the commission had already granted the nomination portal access code to the David Mark-led leadership before the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Monday, and that faction had successfully uploaded more than 400 candidates for national elections.
“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 Senator Mark faction, and they had submitted over 400 names and particulars of their candidates for the national-level elections, including the presidential candidate and running mate,” Haruna said.
His remarks contradict claims by Nafiu Gombe, who, in a statement dated July 12, 2026, announced that his faction had successfully uploaded the party’s presidential, vice-presidential, and National Assembly candidates to the INEC portal.
Gombe said the exercise reflected his faction’s commitment to protecting the interests of the party’s founding members and fielding credible candidates capable of providing effective leadership.
However, the David Mark-led ADC leadership rejected the claim, accusing the Gombe faction of relying on forged INEC documents to falsely assert that it had gained access to the commission’s nomination portal.
The party urged INEC to investigate what it described as the forgery and unauthorised use of official documents, warning that such actions could mislead the public and erode confidence in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the ADC’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had also criticised INEC over the controversy, alleging that the commission allowed the Gombe faction to upload candidates in violation of its established guidelines.
