INEC Debunks Fake Governorship Candidates Announcement In 6 States

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned Nigerians against a fake online publication purporting to be a special announcement by the commission on governorship candidates in six states.

The affected states are Zamfara, Gombe, Delta, Plateau, Yobe and Kano.

INEC issued the warning in a public notice on Monday, shared across its official social media platforms, describing the publication as fraudulent and disowning its contents.

“The Commission wishes to categorically inform the general public that the publication is FAKE and did not originate from INEC,” the statement read.

The electoral umpire urged members of the public to disregard the publication and refrain from sharing it, advising Nigerians to obtain election-related information only from its official notices, press releases and verified communication channels.

“The Commission further wishes to clarify that any information suggesting that INEC has issued a special announcement concerning governorship candidates in the aforementioned states is false,” it added.

The commission also called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and verify electoral information through its authorised platforms to avoid falling victim to misleading publications.

INEC listed its official website as inecnigeria.org, with its X and Instagram handles identified as @inecnigeria, its Facebook page as INEC Nigeria and its news portal as inecnews.com.

For enquiries and further clarification, the commission provided its call centre number as 0700-2255-4632, short code 4632, telephone numbers 090844444333 and 09050858629, and email address [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

Reaffirming its commitment to public enlightenment, INEC said it was committed to “keeping the public accurately informed and urged Nigerians to obtain electoral information only through its official communication channels.”

LEADERSHIP reports that the warning comes two days after INEC published its final lists of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, amid reports that some candidates were missing from the lists.

Among those omitted were the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Ladi Adebutu and Isa Pantami, respectively.

The published documents did not state the reasons for their omission.