By Ify Okoli
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it
has accepted the nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and 470
other candidates submitted by the David Mark-led leadership of the African
Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna said on Tuesday
that the commission recognises only the candidates presented by the faction led
by Mr Mark.
According to Mr Haruna, the commission granted the David
Mark-led leadership access to its candidate nomination portal after a Supreme
Court judgment affirmed its leadership of the party.
He said the faction has since submitted candidates for 471
elective positions. The list includes one presidential candidate, 109
candidates for the Senate and 360 candidates for the House of Representatives.
Mr Haruna said the commission acted in line with the Supreme
Court's decision and did not extend the same recognition to the rival faction.
"We gave the Mark-led faction the code based on the
recent Supreme Court judgment that affirmed his leadership of the party,"
he said.
He added that the court did not direct INEC to accept
nominations from the rival group, which, according to him, had already lost its
appeal seeking recognition.
The INEC commissioner also said the electoral body would not
comment further on the latest legal developments until it had reviewed the
Certified True Copy of Monday's Court of Appeal judgment.
"INEC cannot say anything until we see the judgment. We
have to see the details first. Hopefully, within the next 48 hours, the court
should release the judgment. We will study it before the commission takes a
position," Mr Haruna said.
The commission's latest position confirms that, for now,
only the candidates submitted by the David Mark-led leadership have been
recognised for the 2027 elections, pending any further action following its
review of the Court of Appeal judgment.
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