Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider his appointment of alleged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

SERAP urged him to nominate qualified Nigerians of integrity and non-members of political parties as replacements for the nominated APC members and to submit the names of any such Nigerians for confirmation by the Senate ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

SERAP also urged him to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to draft and send a bill to the National Assembly to enhance the independence of INEC, in conformity with his oath of office and constitutional requirements ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

In the letter over the weekend, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said holding the 2027 General Elections amid the appointment of partisan RECs would make a mockery of Nigerians’ right to participate in free and fair elections and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

SERAP’s letter followed the nomination by the President and confirmation by the Senate of Messrs Etekamba Umoren (Akwa Ibom), Isah Shaka Ehimeakne (Edo), Bunmi Omoseyindemi (Lagos), and Anugbum Onuoha (Rivers) in October 2023.

The letter noted that public perception of the independence of INEC was essential for building public confidence in the electoral process.
MEANWHILE, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has levelled allegations against the Federal Government, accusing it of laying the groundwork for large-scale electoral manipulation ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA condemned what it described as a coordinated and well-funded strategy by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to compromise the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and destabilise opposition parties through coercion and defections.

“We are aware of faultless intelligence, revealing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is perfecting manipulative strategies for the 2027 General Elections. These include appointing known APC loyalists as INEC commissioners and coercing sitting governors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to defect to the APC, thereby positioning themselves to rig elections from within,” HURIWA said.

The group urged Nigerians to resist alleged satanic plots by the APC and FG to establish a China-styled one-party authoritarian state.