ADC raises alarm over INEC official’s redeployment, cites conflict of interest

Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has questioned the credibility of the 2027 general election following the redeployment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head the Electoral Operations Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Okonkwo alleged that the redeployment could create a conflict of interest because Adeyemi-Showunmi is the wife of Segun Showunmi, deputy spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, who is supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Speaking on Arise News, the ADC spokesman argued that the appointment could undermine public confidence in INEC’s impartiality ahead of the 2027 general election.

“Allowing the wife of Showunmi to be the electoral operations department officer is rigging the election before the time,” Okonkwo said.

He explained that the department plays a critical role in election administration, including the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, recruitment and training of ad hoc personnel, and coordination of polling and collation activities.

According to him, the department also supervises returning officers during elections, making its leadership particularly important to the credibility of the electoral process.

“We are not talking about whether there will be bias. We are saying that anything that has the likelihood of bias is not allowed,” he said.

Okonkwo maintained that the issue went beyond whether the INEC official would act impartially, arguing that public officials should avoid circumstances capable of creating reasonable doubts about their neutrality.

He stressed that the concern was not necessarily about Adeyemi-Showunmi’s personal integrity but whether her redeployment could affect public confidence in the electoral commission.

However, Segun Showunmi has denied that his wife’s redeployment was a political reward, describing her as a career civil servant who has spent her professional life working with INEC.

He also stated that she was a Level 17 officer.

The controversy comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with questions about INEC’s neutrality and the integrity of the electoral process likely to remain central to political discourse.

Okonkwo also raised concerns about the credibility of the voter register, citing reports that deceased persons allegedly remain on the register.

His comments add to the debate over the safeguards needed to ensure a transparent, impartial and credible electoral process ahead of the next general election.