The National Chairman of the National Rescue Mission (NRM), Chief Edozie Njoku, has publicly rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) final list of candidates for the upcoming Anambra governorship election, insisting that his party currently has no official candidate in the race.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja on Wednesday, Njoku declared, "NRM has no candidate for the Anambra state governorship election. There's no candidate at all." He claimed that the name published by INEC in its final list was obtained through improper channels and "cannot stand."

Court Recognition Dispute

Njoku, who previously served as National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), joined the NRM in January 2025 and was elected as its National Chairman during an emergency national congress in Abuja. His position was subsequently affirmed by a Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered INEC to recognize the new NRM leadership.

Justice Obiora Egwatu, in a judgment on suit FHC/ABJ/CS/45/2025, faulted INEC's position and explicitly ordered the electoral body to recognize and accept Njoku's leadership. Despite this ruling, Njoku alleges that INEC has neither accepted nor appealed the court judgment.

INEC's Candidate Recognition

In its final list published on Wednesday, INEC recognized 40-year-old Ndidi Christy Olieh as NRM's flagbearer for the Anambra governorship election, with Ogbe Ekene Reginald listed as her deputy.

Njoku strongly contested this listing, stating that the party leadership "does not know nor does it have anything to do with the candidates listed by the electoral umpire as its flag bearers."

"INEC now went behind and got the Secretary to bring a candidate," Njoku alleged, adding that all efforts made for candidates to come through proper channels were blocked by the Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC.

The NRM chairman expressed confidence that the party would soon receive proper recognition from INEC, stating, "We're getting our recognition from INEC sooner than you think, then we'll be doing the mathematics on that."

The dispute adds another layer of complexity to the upcoming Anambra governorship election, which already features 40 candidates from various political parties according to INEC's final list.