The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review the use of politically exposed academics as returning and collation officers for the 2027 elections.
The party made the call in a statement issued on Monday by Bolaji Abdullahi, its national publicity secretary.
The ADC’s position followed a newspaper report that more than 600 senior lecturers from public universities across northern Nigeria had endorsed President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
The party said the reported endorsement raises concerns about electoral credibility and potential conflict of interest, particularly because university lecturers and vice-chancellors have routinely been appointed to collate election results and declare winners.
The ADC acknowledged that academics, like every other Nigerian, have the constitutional right to support or endorse political candidates.
However, the party argued that anyone who has openly taken a partisan position should not subsequently be entrusted with determining the outcome of an election involving the candidate they endorsed.
“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 statement reads.
The party also asked the commission to publish the names of proposed returning and collation officers sufficiently ahead of the elections.
According to the party, early publication would allow political parties and members of the public to identify and raise legitimate concerns about possible conflicts of interest.
“The integrity of an election does not begin when the first ballot is cast. It begins with the neutrality of the people entrusted to administer, collate, and declare its outcome,” the ADC said.
“Nigerians must never be placed in a position where those who have publicly chosen a side are subsequently presented as neutral arbiters of the contest.”
The party said its call was aimed at strengthening public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.
