Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of rigging the 2027 general election in advance through the redeployment of a senior official married to a member of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign council.
Okonkwo made the allegation during an interview on Arise News while reacting to the appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi as Director of Electoral Operations at INEC.
Adeyemi-Showunmi is the wife of Segun Showunmi, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council supporting Tinubu’s re-election bid.
‘Allowing the wife of Showunmi to be the electoral operations department officer is rigging the election before the time,’ Okonkwo declared.
He argued that the redeployment raised serious concerns about INEC’s independence and impartiality ahead of the presidential election.
According to him, the Electoral Operations Department is responsible for critical aspects of election administration, including the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, recruitment and training of ad hoc personnel, and coordination of polling and collation activities.
Kenneth Okonkwo maintained that placing the wife of an APC campaign official in charge of such responsibilities created a potential conflict of interest.
‘We are not talking about whether there will be bias. We are saying that anything that has the likelihood of bias is not allowed,’ he said.
The ADC spokesman insisted that electoral officials must not only act impartially but also avoid circumstances capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
He argued that the issue went beyond Adeyemi-Showunmi’s personal integrity to the perception of neutrality surrounding the commission.
However, Segun Showunmi had previously dismissed suggestions that his wife’s redeployment was politically motivated, describing her as an experienced Level 17 career officer who had worked at INEC throughout her professional life.
INEC’s official directory confirms Adeyemi-Showunmi as the head of its Electoral Operations Department.