Campaign for Democracy Accuses INEC of Manipulating 2027 Candidate List

The Campaign for Democracy (CD) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of manipulating the candidate list for the 2027 general elections. The pro-democracy group identified the omission of several Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates, including Isa Pantami in Gombe State and Ladi Adebutu and Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo in Ogun State, despite their presence on a list published August 29, 2026.

The CD alleged that the omissions in Ogun State occurred after members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed the PDP candidate would be excluded. While INEC later issued a clarification, the CD dismissed the response as belated and demanded an investigation into whether names were electronically removed from the records.

Warning INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan, the group stated that any threat to political pluralism would be met with lawful mass civic action. The CD maintained that the sequence of events raises questions about the independence and impartiality of the commission.