HURIWA Raises Concerns Over INEC Redeployments Ahead Of 2027 Elections

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, to explain reported redeployments involving key departments of the commission ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The association said the reported changes had raised concerns about INEC’s neutrality and could undermine public confidence in the electoral process if the commission failed to provide satisfactory explanations.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA questioned the reported appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head the Electoral Operations Department.

The association cited reports that her husband, Otunba Segun Showunmi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had publicly expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

HURIWA, however, said it was not declaring Adeyemi-Showunmi compromised on account of her husband’s political affiliations but insisted that INEC should address any potential perception of a conflict of interest.

It also questioned the reported redeployment of Isah Magaji Gummi, the former Director of Electoral Operations, to the Voter Registry Department.

The association further raised concerns over reports that Dr Lawrence Bayode was heading the commission’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department, arguing that the appointments required greater transparency given the sensitivity of the positions.

“HURIWA finds these reported redeployments ominous and suspicious. INEC must not allow unanswered questions about its internal arrangements to erode Nigerians’ confidence in the 2027 elections,” the statement said.

The association urged Amupitan to explain why Gummi was moved from Electoral Operations, disclose the criteria used in assigning Adeyemi-Showunmi to the department and clarify the safeguards in place to prevent political considerations from influencing appointments to sensitive positions.

It noted that the Electoral Operations Department coordinates critical electoral activities, including the distribution of election materials, recruitment and training of ad hoc staff, polling arrangements and the supervision of collation processes.

According to HURIWA, the ICT Department also plays a crucial role in election administration, making transparency in the leadership and management of both departments essential to public confidence.

The association warned that the reported redeployments could fuel suspicion if INEC failed to demonstrate that competence, due process and institutional independence guided its decisions.

It also called on the commission to explain the measures it had put in place to prevent political interests from influencing the management of sensitive election materials, polling operations and technology-driven electoral processes.

HURIWA said INEC should address the concerns before political activities intensified, rather than wait until political parties and voters began questioning the commission’s decisions during the elections.

The association also backed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s call for INEC to explain the reported redeployments and disclose arrangements for the production, printing and custody of sensitive election materials.

Atiku had called on the commission to publish the criteria guiding appointments and redeployments and demonstrate that its decisions were based on merit and due process, without political interference.

He also cautioned against assuming that any official was compromised because of ethnicity, regional origin or personal associations.

HURIWA said stakeholders must distinguish between legitimate questions about institutional neutrality and unproven allegations of electoral manipulation.

However, it maintained that INEC had a responsibility to provide verifiable answers to prevent avoidable suspicions from weakening public trust in the electoral process.

The association urged opposition parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to demand transparency through lawful and democratic means.

It also called on Amupitan to demonstrate that the commission operated independently of the Presidency, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political interests.

“INEC must come clean. Nigerians deserve an electoral commission that inspires confidence through its decisions and actions. Professor Amupitan must explain these reported redeployments and demonstrate that no political interest can influence the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections,” HURIWA said.

The association added that although allegations of political interference required verifiable evidence, INEC should not regard demands for transparency as an attack on its leadership.