Award-winning journalist, Fisayo Soyombo has claimed that the “backdoor manipulation of voter choices in 2027 has kicked off”.
He said this in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday in apparent reaction to the recent appointment of some Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) by President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that the president on Wednesday appointed 10 new RECs for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a five-year term each.
The president is empowered by Section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, Amended) and Section 6 of the Electoral Act (2022) to make the appointments.
However, Soyombo alleged that the appointment by the president is part of moves to consolidate himself in power ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
“If you’ve followed Bola Tinubu’s long-term strategising for a while, you’ll know he is already plotting to extend his chokehold on Nigeria by obliterating the possibility of anyone else winning the 2027 presidential election. He has started positioning his people in INEC.
“Etekamba Umoren, the first name on the list of his newly-appointed RECs, is an APC member, Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s ally and henchman, and was the subject of a petition for joining Akpabio in withdrawing N22bn from Akwa Ibom State government’s account and diverting it to “sundry personal use and unjustifiable expenditures”.
“Appointing Umoren as INEC’s REC in Akwa Ibom for an initial five years, asking him to oversee elections in a state he helped loot, a state where he was Permanent Secretary in the Government House, Chief of Staff to the governor and latterly Secretary to the State Government, and where he helped APC win votes, surely isn’t accidental.
“What’s more? The senate that will confirm or reject Umoren is chaired by Umoren’s mentor and principal Akpabio.😂
“The backdoor manipulation of voter choices in 2027 has kicked off four years ahead of schedule!” Soyombo said.
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