The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has renewed its allegations against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding an electronic audit of the commission’s backend system over the alleged replacement of 10 of its candidates for the 2027 Anambra State House of Assembly elections.

The party’s Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, Agada Theophilus, made the demand in a statement issued on Wednesday, insisting that the names published by INEC were not the candidates submitted by the party.

The controversy followed an earlier allegation by the NDC that INEC had removed 10 candidates it nominated for the Anambra State Assembly election and replaced them with what the party described as “impostors.”

The party’s National Chairman, Moses Zuwoghe, had on Sunday alleged that the list of candidates published by INEC contained 10 unfamiliar names that were not those approved by the NDC.

The names identified by the party include Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa for Onitsha South I; Akpotue Obinna Chibuike for Onitsha South II; Nwankwo Chiemerie for Orumba North; Maduagwu Eric K for Anaocha I; Ngoebisi Obinna for Idemili North; Isintume Charles for Njikoka I; Nwachukwu Nonso for Nnewi South; Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne for Nnewi South II; Nnonyelu Samson E for Ayamelum; and Azotani Chuks Francis for Dunukofia.

INEC, however, dismissed the allegation, maintaining that it does not nominate candidates for political parties.

Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, said the responsibility for nominating candidates lies with political parties, subject to the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other relevant laws, regulations and guidelines.

But the NDC has challenged the commission to explain the source of the documents and credentials used to publish the disputed candidates.

According to Theophilus, the party did not submit the EC9E forms of the 10 candidates published by INEC, raising questions over how the commission came into possession of the forms.

“The Nigeria Democratic Congress did not submit the EC9E forms of the 10 published Anambra candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,” he said.

He challenged the electoral commission to explain to Nigerians how it obtained the EC9E forms of candidates whose names, according to the party, were never submitted by the NDC.

The NDC maintained that its candidate-submission process was clear, saying the party submitted the names of candidates who emerged from its appeal process but that INEC rejected those candidates.

Theophilus argued that the development warranted a technical examination of INEC’s electronic platform to establish how the disputed names entered the commission’s database.

“Since the NDC neither collected nor submitted the completed EC9E forms of the 10 Anambra candidates published by INEC, how did the Commission obtain their credentials when it is the party’s legal duty to submit the names of its approved candidates?” he queried.

The party therefore called on INEC to conduct an electronic audit trail of its candidate-management system, particularly its backend, to determine when, how and by whom the 10 names were allegedly entered into the commission’s portal.

“We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct an electronic audit trail to determine how these 10 candidates were smuggled into its portal through the backend,” Theophilus said.