The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately withdraw the appointments of at least three Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a letter dated June 7, 2025, signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation pressed President Tinubu to “urgently nominate qualified Nigerians who are persons of unquestionable integrity and a non-member of a political party as replacement for the alleged APC members and to submit the names of any such Nigerians for confirmation by the Senate ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
The appeal comes following the nomination and Senate confirmation in October 2023 of Etekamba Umoren (Akwa Ibom), Isah Shaka Ehimeakne (Edo), Bunmi Omoseyindemi (Lagos), and Anugbum Onuoha (Rivers) as INEC RECs — appointments that SERAP claims are politically tainted.
“Public perception of the independence of INEC is essential for building public confidence in the electoral process,” SERAP noted. “Where Nigerians have doubts about the independence of INEC, they are more likely to have less confidence in the electoral process, thereby undermining democracy.”
SERAP warned that holding the 2027 general elections under such partisan appointments “will make a mockery of Nigerians’ right to participate in free and fair elections and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.”
The organisation did not stop at urging the removal of the partisan RECs. It also called on the president to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to draft and submit a bill to the National Assembly to strengthen INEC’s independence.
“Sending a draft bill to the National Assembly well ahead of the 2027 general elections to improve the independence and impartiality of INEC would enhance the integrity and legitimacy of the elections and address the serious and debilitating problems witnessed during the 2023 general elections,” SERAP wrote.
Quoting the Nigerian Constitution, the organisation emphasized that Section 156(1) mandates that persons appointed to INEC “shall not be a member of a political party.” SERAP maintained that the use of the term “non-partisan” implies complete neutrality in political matters, disqualifying any individual perceived to have political affiliations.
“Nigeria’s electoral body must enjoy independence from direction or control, whether from the government or any other quarter. It must be accountable to the electorate and act accordingly,” SERAP said.
The group concluded by stating that treating INEC as a political arm of the government violates both constitutional and international standards. “Your government has the constitutional responsibilities to ensure both the appearance and the actual independence and impartiality in the appointment of INEC top officials,” the letter emphasized.
With 2027 drawing closer, all eyes will be on how President Tinubu responds to this growing call for electoral neutrality and reform.
