…………Demands Full Transparency In Recruitment Of Electoral Personnel
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has raised serious concerns over the potential consequences of any compromise in the recruitment, screening, appointment and deployment of electoral personnel ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and all stakeholders to ensure that no individual with demonstrable partisan commitments is allowed to occupy sensitive electoral positions.
The warning follows the reported endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election by more than 600 senior academics from public universities in Northern Nigeria at a meeting convened in Kaduna by Ibrahim Masari, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters.
Reports on the September 2026 meeting indicate that the invitation expressly identified securing the “endorsement and active support” of academics for the President’s 2027 re-election as one of its objectives and described the gathering as a mobilisation exercise. However, the identities of the reported 600 participants have not been publicly and comprehensively established, while some individuals reportedly named as participants have denied attending.
For the avoidance of doubt, the CNPP recognises the constitutional and democratic right of every Nigerian, including university academics, to hold and express political opinions and support candidates of their choice. The issue before Nigerians is not the political preference of individual academics, but whether persons who have openly expressed support for a candidate can subsequently be recruited or appointed to sensitive electoral positions in circumstances that could undermine the neutrality, credibility or public perception of the electoral process.
This concern has become particularly important because INEC has commenced its recruitment exercise for ad-hoc personnel for the 2027 general elections. The Commission’s current recruitment portal identifies categories including Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers, RAC Managers and Registration Area Technical Support personnel, with different eligibility requirements including Grade Level 10–14 for Supervisory Presiding Officers and Grade Level 07 and above for certain other categories.
INEC has announced that the 2027 recruitment exercise will involve a very large electoral workforce, making the integrity of the recruitment and screening process an issue of national importance.
More importantly, Section 27(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that INEC shall not appoint as an election officer any person who is a member of a political party or who has openly expressed support for any candidate. Section 27(2) further provides that appointed officers are to perform their functions under the authority of the Commission and not under the direction or control of any other person or authority.
The law therefore establishes a clear statutory standard which must be applied consistently, transparently and without political discrimination.
The CNPP, as the umbrella body of registered political parties and political associations in Nigeria, Ais particularly concerned about the possibility that the reported academic mobilisation and the ongoing recruitment of electoral personnel could create public suspicion if individuals who openly participated in partisan mobilisation are subsequently found among personnel entrusted with sensitive election duties.
We stress that the CNPP is not alleging that the reported 600 academics were recruited for election duties, nor that INEC has compromised its recruitment process. There is presently no established evidence before us proving such a connection.
But the absence of proof of such a connection today should not prevent Nigerians from demanding transparency before the electoral process reaches a point where questions become impossible to answer.
Indeed, the timing of these developments requires heightened public scrutiny.
INEC’s own position ahead of the 2023 general elections was that university staff who were card-carrying members of political parties, had participated in partisan politics or were known to have obvious political leanings should not be nominated for election duties. INEC also stated that Collation and Returning Officers would swear an oath of neutrality.
The Commission’s 2023 election report likewise records academic staff from federal tertiary institutions as the source category for Collation and Returning Officers, while other ad-hoc categories had their own eligibility requirements.
These established practices make it imperative to know exactly how INEC intends to apply its neutrality standards in 2027.
The CNPP therefore calls on INEC to publicly clarify the following:
1. Whether any of the academics reported to have endorsed President Tinubu have applied for, been nominated for, been screened for or been considered for any INEC electoral assignment in 2027.
2. Whether INEC will independently verify public political endorsements and other demonstrable partisan activities before appointing academics as Collation Officers, Returning Officers or other election personnel.
3. What documentary standards INEC will use to determine whether an applicant has “openly expressed support for any candidate” within the meaning of Section 27 of the Electoral Act 2022.
4. Whether the Commission will publish, sufficiently ahead of the elections, the names and relevant institutional affiliations of persons appointed to sensitive collation and result-declaration positions, subject to applicable privacy and security requirements.
5. Whether INEC will provide a transparent mechanism through which political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders can submit verifiable objections concerning the eligibility or neutrality of proposed electoral personnel.
6. Whether the Commission has established an independent verification process for candidates whose public statements, political activities or affiliations may raise questions under Section 27 of the Electoral Act.
7. Whether INEC will publish the applicable guidelines distinguishing ordinary ad-hoc polling personnel from Collation and Returning Officers, including their respective qualifications, recruitment channels and screening procedures.
8. Whether any government ministry, political office-holder, political party, support group or other external organisation has any role whatsoever in identifying, recommending, screening or influencing persons to be considered for electoral appointments.
These questions are not an attempt to interfere with INEC’s constitutional independence. On the contrary, they are intended to protect that independence by ensuring that no political actor, institution or individual is allowed to create circumstances that could cast doubt on the Commission’s impartiality.
The CNPP also calls on universities and their governing authorities to exercise the highest degree of caution when nominating academic staff for election-related duties. Academic freedom and political rights must be protected, but electoral neutrality must equally be protected where an individual accepts a statutory electoral responsibility.
We are particularly concerned that a compromised electoral referee could inflict damage that extends far beyond election day.
If Nigerians begin to believe that electoral officials were selected on the basis of political loyalty rather than competence and neutrality, confidence in polling, collation and declaration of results could be severely weakened. Such doubts could fuel prolonged disputes, undermine acceptance of legitimate results, deepen political polarisation and weaken public confidence in democratic institutions.
The consequences of a disputed presidential election would not end with the declaration of a winner. They could affect the legitimacy of government, the credibility of institutions, political stability and the willingness of citizens to continue investing faith in elections as the lawful means of transferring political power.
This is why the CNPP believes that prevention is far better than post-election explanations.
NO ASSUMPTIONS — ONLY VERIFIABLE FACTS
The CNPP will not accuse any academic, INEC official, political party or government institution of electoral wrongdoing without evidence.
We will, however, insist that every verifiable fact concerning the recruitment and deployment of electoral personnel be brought into the public domain.
The identities of the reported 600 academics should be independently established. Their actual attendance should be verified. Their individual statements should be documented. Their subsequent applications, nominations and appointments to electoral positions should be independently tracked.
Where an individual denies attending the Kaduna meeting, that denial should be recorded. Where another person is confirmed to have attended and publicly endorsed a candidate, that fact should equally be recorded. Where INEC excludes a politically exposed individual from electoral duties in compliance with the law, that should be acknowledged as well.
Nigeria’s 2027 election must not be investigated only after the results have been declared.
The process must be watched before, during and after the election.
CNPP CALLS FOR PROACTIVE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATION
The CNPP therefore calls on Nigerian civil society organisations, professional associations, media organisations, election observers, development partners and the international community to begin proactive monitoring of the 2027 electoral process now.
Observation should not be restricted to election-day voting.
It should include the recruitment and training of election personnel, nomination and appointment of Collation and Returning Officers, procurement and deployment of electoral materials, accreditation of observers, result-management procedures, technological safeguards, collation processes, complaints mechanisms and post-election dispute resolution.
The international community and democratic institutions should pay particular attention to the independence and transparency of Nigeria’s electoral management system while respecting Nigeria’s sovereignty and the constitutional mandate of INEC.
The CNPP equally urges all political parties to refrain from attempting to compromise electoral personnel and to submit documentary evidence where they identify genuine conflicts of interest rather than relying on speculation or political accusations.
2027 MUST NOT BECOME A TEST OF WHETHER NIGERIANS CAN TRUST THEIR ELECTORAL REFEREES
The greatest danger to Nigeria’s democracy is not merely that an election could be disputed. It is that citizens could lose confidence in the institutions responsible for determining how their votes are counted.
The integrity of the 2027 elections must therefore be protected from the earliest stage of the electoral cycle.
The CNPP calls on INEC to demonstrate, through verifiable actions and publicly explainable procedures, that every person entrusted with the Nigerian people’s votes meets the requirements of the Electoral Act and is demonstrably capable of performing electoral duties without political direction, influence or conflict of interest.
We urge Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media, professional bodies and the international community to remain vigilant and proactively follow the electoral process.
Nigeria cannot afford an election whose credibility becomes a subject of investigation only after the results have been announced.
The time to protect the integrity of the 2027 elections is now.
