Politics
2027: Granting portal access to illegal Bala Nafiu faction is biased, Atiku blasts INEC, Amupitan
The Atiku Media Office has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of unlawfully granting access to its candidate nomination portal to a rival faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging that the move is aimed at weakening opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the media office claimed that Nafiu Bala Gombe, whom it described as a “pretender” to the ADC national chairmanship, announced on July 11 that he had successfully uploaded the names of his faction’s candidates to INEC’s portal.
According to the statement, access to the commission’s candidate nomination portal is reserved for the legally recognised leadership of political parties in line with INEC’s guidelines for the 2027 elections.
The Atiku Media Office alleged that by granting portal access to Gombe, INEC was displaying partisanship despite recognising the ADC leadership led by former Senate President David Mark.
“By granting access code to Bala Gombe, a pretender laying claims 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 exco, the electoral umpire is once again manifesting its partisanship,” the statement read.
The media office insisted that only the David Mark-led leadership is recognised by law, arguing that any candidate list submitted by Gombe is invalid.
It further questioned how two different individuals could simultaneously be recognised as national chairman of the same political party.
The statement also alleged that Gombe’s faction did not conduct valid party primaries as required by the Constitution and the Electoral Act, maintaining that only candidates produced through the recognised ADC leadership can lawfully participate in the 2027 elections.
Describing the development as unconstitutional, the Atiku Media Office called on INEC to explain the circumstances under which Gombe was granted access to the candidate nomination portal and urged the electoral body to avoid actions capable of creating internal crises within opposition parties.

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