The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) issued a formal statement through its Rivers State Media Directorate in Port Harcourt on Thursday, dismissing reports that the name of its Rivers State Deputy Governorship Candidate, Dr. Mike Barieenee Nwielaghi, was missing from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) candidate-management portal.
The party described the reports as false and misleading, confirming that Nwielaghi’s candidate profile—running alongside governorship candidate Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs—was successfully uploaded and remains fully recognized by electoral authorities. The NDC urged media organizations and the public to verify candidate lists via official channels before publishing reports regarding candidate status.
The clarification comes as the NDC remains locked in a broader administrative dispute with INEC regarding candidate lists for the 2027 Anambra State House of Assembly elections:
* Disputed Nominations in Anambra: NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, Agada Theophilus, and National Chairman Moses Zuwoghe reiterated allegations that 10 candidates published by INEC across Anambra constituencies—including Onitsha South I, Anaocha I, and Nnewi South—were never approved by the party or submitted via Form EC9E.
* Demand for Electronic Audit: The party claimed that candidates who emerged from its internal appeals process were rejected by the commission, calling on INEC to perform a technical audit of its portal's backend system to determine how the disputed candidates were uploaded.
* INEC's Response: INEC rejected claims of candidate substitution. Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, and Information Committee Chairman Mohammed Haruna maintained that candidate nomination is the sole responsibility of political parties under the Electoral Act 2026, stating that the published list reflects the documentation submitted directly by the NDC's national leadership.
