2027 Election: ADC Raises Alarm Over Tinubu Endorsement By 600 Lecturers

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tighten its rules on the appointment of lecturers as Returning and Collation Officers ahead of the 2027 general elections, Naija News reports.

The party’s call followed reports that over 600 senior lecturers from public universities in Northern Nigeria had endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the development had raised concerns about possible conflicts of interest, particularly because academics have regularly been appointed to handle sensitive electoral duties.

The party acknowledged that lecturers, like every other Nigerian, have a constitutional right to support or endorse any political candidate.

However, it argued that such support should become a concern if the person is later appointed to collate results or declare the winner in an election involving the candidate they publicly backed.

“No person who has openly taken a partisan position should subsequently be entrusted with determining the outcome of an election involving that candidate,” the party stated.

The ADC added, “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.”

The party urged INEC to establish and publish clear guidelines that would prevent academics and other prospective election officials who had publicly endorsed candidates, participated in partisan activities or shown clear political affiliation from serving as Returning or Collation Officers.

It also called on the electoral body to publish the names of proposed Returning and Collation Officers well ahead of the elections.

According to the ADC, this would give political parties and members of the public enough time to identify and raise genuine concerns about possible conflicts of interest.

The party stressed that the credibility of an election depends not only on the voting process but also on the neutrality of those responsible for administering, collating and declaring the results.