Former Kogi West senator, Dino Melaye, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against actions that could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
This was just as he stated that any attempt to rig the forthcoming polls would be resisted.
Melaye issued the warning in a post on his X handle on Sunday, describing INEC’s recent activities as signs of what he called “anticipatory rigging”.
“The activities of INEC in recent times point at anticipatory rigging. Which will be resisted,” he wrote.
The former lawmaker insisted that the electoral commission must reform its operations ahead of the elections, warning those planning to manipulate the process.
“INEC must be born again this time because we will not allow rigging. Rig and say your final prayer,” he added.
Melaye, who recently joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has repeatedly criticised INEC over its handling of electoral matters.
His latest remarks come amid controversy surrounding suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs discovered in the commission’s preliminary voters’ register and complaints by political parties over the omission of some candidates from INEC’s final list.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on INEC to strictly adhere to its published timetable for the 2027 general elections, insisting that electoral rules must apply equally to all political parties.
The party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, made the call when he received a pre-election fact-finding mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
Yilwatda, who was accompanied by members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), said the electoral process must remain fair, transparent and predictable.
He cautioned INEC against changing electoral deadlines in ways that could give any political party an advantage over others.
The APC chairman said his party had already inaugurated its campaign council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded its candidates to INEC’s portal.
“We have inaugurated our campaign council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded our candidates to INEC’s portal. We have also presented candidates for all the positions we are contesting, unlike some opposition parties that have faced difficulties completing their submissions,” he said.
Yilwatda also claimed that the APC had about 13 million registered members across the country’s local government areas.
He said the party had more than 261,000 executive members from the ward to the national level, adding that its membership cards could be verified through National Identification Numbers (NIN) and voter identification details.
On the party’s elected representatives, he said the APC had 31 governors, 88 senators and 208 members of the House of Representatives.
However, Yilwatda maintained that the party’s numerical strength should not translate into the suppression of opposition parties.
“Being the largest political party does not mean that we want to suppress anybody. We want a democratic environment in which every party can organise, campaign and seek the support of Nigerians without fear,” he said.
He further assured that the APC would not use its position to intimidate opposition parties, stressing that all political parties should enjoy equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms.
“We will not use our position to intimidate or suppress opposition parties. Every political party must have equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms to present its programmes to Nigerians,” he said.
