PRESS RELEASE
As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, the Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN) calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address concerns about personnel appointments, the verification of election officials and the integrity of electoral operations. Public confidence in elections is fundamental to democratic stability. INEC must therefore ensure not only that its processes are impartial, but also that they are demonstrably transparent and protected from political interference.
Recent reports and documented concerns arising from previous elections underscore the need for urgent preventive action.
First, concerns about political connections and senior appointments within INEC require a clear and transparent response. Reports that Mrs. Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi, wife of political figure Mr. Segun Showunmi, has been redeployed to head INEC’s Electoral Operations Department have prompted questions about the appearance of a potential conflict of interest, given her husband’s political activities.
CSMN does not presume that the appointment constitutes wrongdoing. However, considering the importance of electoral operations to the credibility of the 2027 elections, we urge INEC to clarify the appointment process, the professional criteria applied and the safeguards in place to guarantee impartiality. Public confidence requires both integrity and the demonstrable absence of undue political influence.
Second, the integrity of personnel recruited for election duties must be guaranteed. Former INEC commissioner Mr. Mike Igini has raised concerns about the alleged infiltration of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) personnel lists by individuals who are not genuine corps members but may be deployed as election officials.
These allegations warrant serious attention. We call on INEC and the NYSC to establish robust identity-verification procedures, authenticate personnel lists before deployment and ensure that every person assigned electoral duties can be independently verified. Appropriate sanctions should follow wherever deliberate falsification or collusion is established.
Third, the unresolved questions surrounding the 2023 presidential election results in Rivers State must not be ignored. A BBC investigation reported discrepancies between certain polling-station tallies and announced results in Oyigbo and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas. The investigation also raised questions about the identity and employment claims of an official, Dickson Ariaga, who announced the Oyigbo results.
The report quoted an INEC spokesperson as attributing the recruitment difficulties to shortages of time and personnel, with some identities reportedly not verified. These findings raise important questions about recruitment controls, the authentication of result sheets and the accountability of officials responsible for announcing results.
CSMN recognises that allegations and media investigations are not substitutes for the findings of competent investigative or judicial authorities. Nevertheless, such reported irregularities demonstrate why electoral safeguards must be strengthened and credible complaints thoroughly investigated.
In view of these concerns, CSMN calls on INEC to take the following measures before the 2027 general elections:
1. Personnel verification: Publish and implement clear procedures for verifying the identity, qualifications and eligibility of all permanent and ad-hoc election personnel, working with the NYSC and relevant institutions.
2. Transparent appointments and redeployments: Explain the professional criteria governing sensitive appointments and establish safeguards against actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
3. Accurate collation and declaration of results: Strengthen reconciliation between polling-unit results, collation records and announced totals, with effective procedures for detecting, documenting and correcting discrepancies.
4. Independent investigation and accountability: Investigate credible allegations of electoral malpractice and publish appropriate findings, subject to due process, privacy requirements and applicable law. Where misconduct is established, ensure proportionate disciplinary or legal consequences.
5. Public communication and stakeholder access: Provide timely information on safeguards, complaints and corrective actions, and maintain constructive engagement with political parties, civil society, election observers and the media.
6. Protection for whistle-blowers: Establish safe, accessible channels through which electoral personnel and members of the public can report attempted interference, identity fraud or other irregularities without fear of retaliation.
CSMN calls on the Chairman of INEC, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, and the Commission’s leadership to treat these concerns as an opportunity to strengthen institutional credibility well before the elections. The ultimate test will be whether the Commission can demonstrate, through verifiable procedures and transparent conduct, that every eligible vote will be protected and every result handled in accordance with the law.
We also call on political parties, candidates, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations and citizens to uphold electoral integrity. Political actors must refrain from attempting to compromise election personnel, while citizens should report suspected irregularities through lawful channels and provide verifiable evidence rather than circulate unsubstantiated claims.
CSMN emphasises that a credible election is a shared national responsibility, although INEC bears the constitutional responsibility for administering the process impartially and in accordance with the law. Nigeria deserves an election whose credibility is established by transparent procedures, verifiable results and public confidence—not merely by assurances.
CSMN welcomes dialogue with INEC and hopes to discuss practical measures to strengthen public confidence before the elections.
The time to close electoral loopholes is before voting begins, not after confidence has been lost.
God bless Nigeria.
By Bosun Emmanuel, CEO/Executive Secretary, CSMN.