CNPP Urges INEC to Ensure Neutrality of 2027 Election Officials
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that politically partisan individuals are not appointed as electoral officers for the 2027 general elections.
The call follows reports that more than 600 academics from public universities in Northern Nigeria endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election at a meeting in Kaduna convened by Ibrahim Masari, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters.
The CNPP said it recognises the right of academics to support candidates of their choice but stressed that individuals who have openly expressed partisan support should not occupy sensitive electoral positions.
Section 27 of the Electoral Act 2022 prohibits INEC from appointing as an election officer anyone who is a member of a political party or has openly expressed support for a candidate.
The group said it was not alleging that any of the academics involved in the reported endorsement had applied for or been appointed to INEC positions, nor that the commission had compromised its recruitment process.
However, it urged INEC to explain how it will verify the political neutrality of applicants, particularly those being considered for sensitive positions such as Collation and Returning Officers.
The CNPP also called for greater transparency in the recruitment, screening and deployment of electoral personnel, saying the credibility of the 2027 elections must be protected from the earliest stages of the electoral process.
