2027: ADC Seeks Ban on Partisan Lecturers as Returning Officers

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to bar academics who have openly taken partisan positions from serving as Returning and Collation Officers in the 2027 general elections.

The ADC made the call following a report that more than 600 senior lecturers from public universities across Northern Nigeria had endorsed President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.

Reacting in a statement on Monday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the development raised concerns about electoral credibility and conflicts of interest.

ALSO READ: Onoh Faults Omokri Over N3,000 Daily Living Claim

The party noted that university lecturers and vice-chancellors had routinely been entrusted with the sensitive responsibility of collating election results and declaring winners.

“While acknowledging the constitutional right of every Nigerian, including academics, to support or endorse any political candidate, no person who has openly taken a partisan position should subsequently 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 in.

ALSO READ: AI Use Threatens Students’ Ability To Think, UNILAG VC Warns

“The party, therefore, called on INEC to establish and publish clear criteria, disqualifying academics and other prospective election officials who have publicly endorsed candidates, participated in partisan political activities, or otherwise demonstrated an obvious political affiliation,” Abdullahi stated.

The ADC further called on INEC to release the names of proposed Returning and Collation Officers well ahead of the elections to allow political parties and the public to flag potential conflicts of interest.

ALSO READ: I Left Obi Because He Has No Plan for Nigeria — Datti

“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.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Do you want to reach your targeted audience and expand your brand’s visibility?

Advertise with Polity Reporters to place your “message” before the right audience.

For advertising enquiries, reach us through:

Email: bandcommunications001@gmail.com

Facebook: Polity Reporters

WhatsApp: 07043810558

“Journalism is what we need to make democracy work.”

“News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.”

“Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault.”

“The duty of a journalist is to convey the truth as clearly and fully as possible.”

“Good journalism is about results. It is about affecting your community or your society in the most progressive way.”

“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.”

“A free press is not a privilege but an organic necessity in a great society.”

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

“Journalism without a moral position is impossible.”

“The function of journalism is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”

Polity Reporters

Polity Reporters brings you news from Nigeria and around the world. The team follows developments closely and reports in a way that helps readers understand what is happening locally and internationally. Every piece is clear, reliable, and useful for anyone who wants to stay informed.