KEY POINTS
- The NDC disowned a candidates’ list for Imo, Abia and Anambra circulating on social media.
- It says it already filed the authentic list with INEC through the legal channels.
- The party has launched an investigation into the source of the fake document.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress has distanced itself from a list of purported candidates for elections in Imo, Abia and Anambra states currently circulating on social media, describing it as fake and unauthorised. In a statement on Friday, the party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, urged members and the public to disregard the lists, insisting that they did not originate from the national headquarters.
Party files authentic list with INEC
According to the NDC, it had already submitted the genuine list of candidates who will fly the party’s flag in the affected states to the Independent National Electoral Commission, through the channels the Electoral Act prescribes. Moreover, the party urged supporters in the three states and beyond to ignore the documents spreading online.
“The general public, especially members of the NDC in Imo, Abia, Anambra and other affected states, are hereby urged to disregard the lists of candidates widely circulating on social media as the authentic lists of our party’s candidates from the aforementioned states. The said lists are fake and did not emanate from the party headquarters,” the statement read.
Party probes the source
Furthermore, Enekweizu alleged that “mischief makers” had circulated the documents to sow confusion and distract the party. According to him, the NDC has launched an investigation to trace the source and establish how the information spread.
“Such lists in circulation are being peddled by mischief makers and those who do not wish the party well. However, the party is investigating the sources of such fabrications and leakages as they are desperate attempts to cause ill will and distractions within the party,” he said.
Consequently, the party sought to reassure its base amid the controversy. It reaffirmed its commitment to internal cohesion and to its broader goal of offering an alternative political platform for Nigerians. Ultimately, the NDC framed the fake lists as an attempt to destabilize a young party still consolidating its structures, and it pledged to clarify its position through the proper channels. By pointing supporters back to INEC’s official records, the leadership signaled that only the commission’s verified list, rather than viral documents, should guide expectations about who will contest under the party’s banner.