INEC Has Lost Credibility to Conduct 2027 Elections, Ezekwesili Declares

Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, has questioned the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declaring that the commission can no longer be trusted to independently conduct Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

Ezekwesili made the declaration in an open statement following allegations that INEC officials manipulated the preliminary voters’ register by introducing artificial intelligence-generated photographs, duplicate records and other fabricated entries.

She argued that the alleged compromise of the voters’ register had raised serious concerns about the commission’s ability to guarantee credible elections, insisting that an institution accused of internal misconduct should not be left to investigate itself.

According to her, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed during television interviews on October 30 and November 1 that registration officers had allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregular entries into the register across several states.

Ezekwesili described the development as an alleged act of sabotage from within the electoral institution rather than an external cyberattack or technical malfunction.

She also criticised the commission for failing to provide sufficient details about the scale of the alleged manipulation, the affected states and local government areas, or the officials involved.

“The question of whether Nigeria can conduct a credible 2027 election is already answered. Nigeria cannot hold a credible 2027 election under the leadership of INEC,” she declared.

The former minister further argued that the voters’ register, which forms the foundation of the electoral process, belongs to Nigerian citizens and should not be treated as the exclusive property of the electoral commission or the Federal Government.

To address the controversy, Ezekwesili called for the immediate establishment of an independent Citizens’ Electoral Rescue Team to oversee the cleaning and verification of the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

She proposed that the team should comprise independent forensic data specialists, cybersecurity and biometric experts, civil society organisations, representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association, professional bodies, academics, religious and traditional leaders, as well as international election observers.

Under her proposal, representatives of registered political parties would be allowed to observe the process but would not have control over its activities.

She also insisted that serving or former INEC officials, political office holders, election candidates and party officials should be excluded from the proposed team to guarantee its independence.

Ezekwesili said the proposed body should conduct a comprehensive forensic audit of the voters’ database, identify fraudulent registrations, establish how the irregularities occurred and ensure that officials implicated in the alleged misconduct are held accountable.

She further urged the National Assembly to enact legislation under what she described as a “Doctrine of Necessity” to empower the proposed rescue team to oversee the restoration of credibility to the electoral process.

The former minister also called on civil society groups, professional organisations, faith leaders, young Nigerians, the judiciary and the international community to support the demand for an independent intervention before the final voters’ register is published.

Meanwhile, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, has said the commission is working to remove irregular registrations from the national voters’ database ahead of the 2027 elections.

INEC is reportedly preparing to purge about 1.5 million irregular registrations identified through its verification processes, while the final voters’ register is scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026.

The commission has maintained that technology-enabled verification and its claims and objections process will help strengthen the integrity of the register.

The controversy comes as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, with renewed concerns over electoral transparency, public confidence and the credibility of the country’s democratic institutions.