INEC Breaks Silence On Nafiu Gombe ADC Faction

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that it granted an access code to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) faction headed by Nafiu Bala Gombe for the submission of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to Ireporter Online, Gombe had announced in a statement dated July 12, 2026, that his faction had successfully uploaded the names of its presidential, vice-presidential, and National Assembly candidates onto the commission’s nomination portal. He described the move as evidence of the party’s determination to protect the interests of its founding members and reaffirmed the faction’s commitment to presenting credible candidates capable of delivering good governance and effective leadership.

However, responding to the claim, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, clarified that the commission did not issue any portal access code to the Gombe-led faction.

Haruna explained that the access code for candidate nominations was granted solely to the leadership of the party led by Senator David Mark. He added that the commission’s records clearly showed that the Mark-led faction had already received approval and submitted more than 400 candidate details for national elective positions, including those for the presidency and vice presidency, before a recent Court of Appeal judgment nullified the faction’s state congresses.

He maintained that INEC had never authorised the Gombe faction to access the nomination portal, stressing that only the David Mark-led leadership was officially recognised for the purpose of submitting candidates for the 2027 elections.