War of Words Erupts as Nafiu Gombe Allegedly Gains Nomination Access Despite Recognized Leadership
The Atiku Abubakar media team and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership are locked in a bitter dispute over whether INEC granted nomination portal access to rival faction leader Nafiu Gombe.
The controversy erupted after Gombe’s group claimed it successfully uploaded presidential and other candidates to INEC’s nomination portal. On Monday, the Atiku camp fired back, alleging INEC showed bias by issuing an access code to Gombe despite officially recognizing the David Mark-led ADC leadership.
ADC Fires Back: “Blatant Lie”
But the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, swiftly dismissed the allegations as false.
“INEC does not issue nomination portal access or nomination codes to a leadership it does not recognise,” Abdullahi stated emphatically. “Secondly, the Commission will not issue two codes to the same party. Otherwise, every impostor would simply upload names to the portal and proclaim themselves the authentic leadership.”
Party Demands INEC Investigation
The ADC is now calling on INEC to investigate what it terms “forgery and unauthorized use of documents” purportedly from the commission.
“We trust that the Commission will investigate this matter and take the necessary steps to correct this blatant misrepresentation.”
The Bottom Line
The ADC insists it remains unfactionalized, with the recognized leadership having already completed the nomination process. The party maintains that Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi remain its valid presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
