The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sparked confusion over a wrong photo-name match for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for the Edo South senatorial district in the 2027 general election.
NEWSNGR learnt that the INEC portal had the picture of Sunny Aguebor as the senatorial candidate while it had the name Epelle-Asemota Bridgitte Osayuki as the candidate.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the change of name, former Chief Whip of the Senate, Rowland Owie, in an interview with Punch, said Aguebor emerged as the party’s candidate in a primary election monitored by INEC and alleged that a national officer of the NDC may be responsible for the current development.
Owie declared the development a fraud that would not stand, noting that Aguebor is the Edo South Senatorial candidate.
He said, “The truth is fraud cannot stand. The duly nominated candidate for Edo South NDC is Sunny Aguebor.
“His primary election was monitored by the INEC and we have the CTC of his nomination from INEC.
“The party uploaded the information to INEC portal. What they were trying to do is to put that lady’s name but they couldn’t remove Aguebor’s picture.
“Whoever did it is a criminal, it is because we want peace in the party otherwise such a person should have been arrested. It is a criminal act. The NDC is a corrective party, we can’t be part of fraud.
“We have written to the INEC to make the necessary corrections. The person behind the fraud is a leader in the South South and we can get him arrested for forgery.”
Also speaking on the development, the NDC state chairman, David Olukoga, said the party was still working with the INEC over the issue.
He stated, “Those are social media issues, when we are ready, we will publish our lists, we are not done with INEC, when we are done, they will give us our list and we will publish them.”
