The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is charged with publishing the names and particulars of candidates submitted by political parties, not with determining their eligibility or verifying the accuracy of their credentials.
Speaking on Sunday Politics, Adebayo described INEC as a public institution whose primary duty is to receive information from political parties and candidates and make it available to the electorate. He likened the commission’s role to that of a post office.
“INEC is our servant. It’s working for the public. INEC is just like the post office. Its role is to collect the information submitted by political parties and candidates and make it available to the electorate. It’s not INEC’s job to vet the information,” Adebayo said.
He emphasized that the responsibility for scrutinizing candidates’ claims and challenging any false declarations rests with the electorate and other stakeholders through the appropriate legal channels.
Commenting on the recent publication of his name as the SDP presidential candidate, Adebayo dismissed reports of internal crisis within the party. He insisted that the SDP’s nomination process was peaceful and transparent. He noted that INEC also published the names of the party’s vice-presidential candidate, 109 senatorial candidates, and 360 House of Representatives candidates, describing the exercise as routine.
Adebayo urged Nigerians to shift focus from political intrigues to the critical issues confronting the country, including poverty, insecurity, poor governance, and economic challenges, as the nation prepares for the 2027 general elections.