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Dr Adefolaseye Adebayo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Surulere I Federal Constituency in Lagos State, has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) plans to keep her party off the ballot in the 2027 general elections.
She made the allegation in a video shared on her X account on Saturday, October 17, calling on the Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to take note of the plan and ensure that the NDC is allowed to contest the election.
“I got information that some group of people are planning to make sure that NDC does not appear on the ballot for the Surulere I Federal Constituency,” she said.
She added that APC intended to use its federal influence to prevent the NDC from participating in the election. However, she did not publicly identify the individuals involved or provide evidence. She also referred to the 2023 general elections, claiming that the Labour Party was absent from the ballot in the Surulere I House of Representatives election after its candidate allegedly colluded with those responsible.
“They did it during the last federal election for the House of Representatives in Surulere I with the Labour Party,” she said, “when the person who was the Labour Party candidate colluded with them, and the Labour Party did not appear on the ballot paper.”
She added that those she accused had faced no consequences and warned against what she described as an attempt to repeat the alleged action against the NDC ahead of 2027. Dr Adefolaseye also urged the NDC’s national and Lagos State leadership to remain alert and called on Nigerians to pay attention to the matter. She also declared that she would not be bribed into silence.
Her allegation comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections, with questions about candidate participation, party nominations and access to the ballot remaining important to the electoral process.
Preventing eligible candidates from contesting would restrict voters’ ability to choose their representatives, making transparent and lawful electoral procedures essential. Her latest public statement was an X post on October 17, with additional reports posted on October 18. APC and INEC also did not respond to the allegation.
As Nigeria approaches another election, any attempts to exclude political parties from the ballot warrants careful investigation; the electoral process must allow eligible parties and candidates to participate under the same lawful rules, while voters must be able to make their choices without interference.
