Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has distanced itself from an online document claiming to show an updated breakdown of cleared gubernatorial contenders for the upcoming 2027 polls, describing the document as unverified and unauthorized.
“The Commission wishes to categorically inform the general public that the publication is FAKE and did not originate from INEC. INEC therefore urges members of the public to disregard the fraudulent publication and refrain from sharing it,” the electoral umpire wrote in a post on its X handle.
According to official clarifications, the unverified notice targets state executive nominations across six specific states: Zamfara, Gombe, Delta, Plateau, Yobe, and Kano.The commission emphasized that it has not released any supplementary directive or administrative bulletin altering or discussing gubernatorial lists in those regions.The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been drawn to a fraudulent publication circulating online and purporting to be a special announcement by the Commission regarding issues affecting the list of governorship candidates in six states: Zamfara, Gombe, Delta, Plateau, Yobe, and Kano.
The Commission wishes to categorically inform the general public that the publication is FAKE and did not originate from INEC.
INEC, therefore, urges members of the public to disregard the fraudulent publication and refrain from sharing it. The public is advised to rely solely on official notices, press releases, and other information issued through the Commission’s verified communicationThis public caveat follows closely on the heels of the recent publication of the definitive political candidate listings ahead of next year’s balloting, a process that triggered nationwide debates after several prominent party nominees were left off the official rolls.
