The claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has planted his men in INEC to rig the 2027 election is a cheap, lazy lie manufactured by desperate politicians who have already seen defeat staring them in the face.
Let us destroy this lie with facts.
INEC IS NOT RUN BY THE PRESIDENCY, IT IS RUN BY CAREER PROFESSIONALS
The two names being shouted about, Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi (Electoral Operations) and Dr Lawrence Bayode (ICT), are not politicians. They did not come from Bourdillon Road or Aso Rock. They are career civil servants in INEC who have worked in the Commission for over 15 years, long before Tinubu became President. Their promotion was done by INEC Service Board based on seniority and performance, not by presidential list.
If President Tinubu wanted to plant his men, would he plant people who have been in INEC since the days of President Goodluck Jonathan?
THE CHAIRMAN OF INEC IS NOT EVEN YORUBA
The biggest proof that this claim is nonsense is the INEC Chairman himself. President Tinubu, in his wisdom and respect for neutrality, appointed Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, from Kogi State, North Central, as INEC Chairman. He is not Yoruba. He is not APC. He is a respected law professor and Senior Advocate.
If a man wants to rig an election with Yoruba agenda, will he appoint a Kogi man to lead INEC? The logic does not add up. It is Atiku Abubakar who is playing tribal politics, not Tinubu.
THE DEPARTMENTS MENTIONED ARE TECHNICAL, NOT POLITICAL
Electoral Operations is about logistics – moving ballot papers. ICT is about managing BVAS and IReV servers. The heads of these departments cannot award votes. They cannot declare a winner. Election results are declared at polling units in front of party agents, media and security, and uploaded on IReV for all Nigerians to see live. BVAS accreditation is physical.
How will an ICT Director in Abuja rig your polling unit in Onitsha, Nnewi or Kano when your party agent is standing there with his phone recording?
PRESIDENT TINUBU HAS STRENGTHENED ELECTORAL INTEGRITY MORE THAN ANY PRESIDENT
Under President Tinubu, INEC has registered over 9.3 million new youths in the 2026 CVR, launched 9 Youth Ambassadors to fight vote-buying, and maintained BVAS and IReV despite pressure to remove them. He has funded INEC better than previous administrations.
A man planning to rig does not fund technology that will expose rigging.
ROUTINE REDEPLOYMENT IS NOT A PLOT
INEC just redeployed Mrs Adenike Tadese from Ondo to Lagos and appointed Mrs Temitayo Adelusi to Ondo. This is routine administrative transfer done every year to prevent officers from becoming too familiar in one state. Atiku called it “planting”. This is ignorance or mischief.
CONCLUSION:
Atiku Abubakar lost in 2023 and is already manufacturing excuse for his 2027 defeat under ADC. He has no agenda for Nigeria. No plan for economy, security or youth. So he has resorted to shouting “Yoruba, Yoruba, rigging, rigging” to incite northern and southern Nigerians against President Tinubu.
Nigerians must reject this divisive falsehood.
President Tinubu has not planted anybody anywhere. INEC is independent. 2027 will be free, fair, credible and technologically transparent. The best candidate will win – and that is Bola Ahmed Tinubu because of his performance.
Comrade James Okoronkwo
National Coordinator
Coalition for Renewed Hope