The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review the use of politically exposed academics as Returning and Collation Officers for the 2027 general elections.
The party made the call following reports that more than 600 senior lecturers from public universities across Northern Nigeria have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the development raised questions of electoral credibility and conflict of interest, especially as university lecturers and vice chancellors are routinely entrusted with collating results and declaring winners.
While acknowledging the constitutional right of every Nigerian, including academics, to support any political candidate, the party said no person who has openly taken a partisan position should be entrusted with determining the outcome of an election involving that candidate.
“You cannot campaign for a candidate and then be entrusted with counting the votes and declaring winners in the same election that your candidate is contesting,” the ADC stated.
The party urged INEC to establish and publish clear criteria to disqualify prospective election officials who have publicly endorsed candidates, participated in partisan political activities, or demonstrated obvious political affiliation.
It also called on the Commission to publish the names of proposed Returning and Collation Officers early enough to allow political parties and the public to raise legitimate concerns about conflicts of interest.
“The integrity of an election does not begin when the first ballot is cast. It begins with the neutrality of the people entrusted to administer, collate, and declare its outcome. Nigerians must never be placed in a position where those who have publicly chosen a side are subsequently presented as neutral arbiters of the contest,” the party said.
