Allowing Showunmi’s Wife To Head Electoral Operations Is Rigging Election Before Time – Kenneth Okonkwo Warns

Spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Kenneth Okonkwo has warned that the appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head the Electoral Operations Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could undermine public trust.

Naija News reports that Adeyemi-Showunmi is the wife of Segun Showunmi, who is a member of the Communication and Strategy Committee of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.

Reacting to her appointment during an interview on Arise News, Okonkwo stated that the development raises concerns about the credibility of the 2027 general election.

Okonkwo argued that the appointment creates a potential conflict of interest.

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

Okonkwo explained that the department plays a crucial role in election administration, including distributing sensitive and non-sensitive materials, recruiting and training ad hoc personnel, and coordinating polling and collation activities.

He added that the department also supervises returning officers during elections, arguing that its responsibilities make the position particularly sensitive ahead of the 2027 polls.

“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.

The ADC spokesman cited the principle of conflict of interest, arguing that public officials must avoid situations that could reasonably call into question their impartiality, regardless of whether actual bias can be established.

He maintained that the issue was not necessarily one of the officer’s personal integrity, but whether the circumstances surrounding her redeployment could undermine confidence in INEC’s neutrality.