Channels Television journalist and broadcaster, Seun Okinbaloye, has explained why he declared that the 2027 general election had already been rigged, insisting that his warning was directed at suspected manipulation of the voters’ register and not any political party or individual.
Okinbaloye made this clarification on Sunday during the latest edition of Sunday Politics, while responding to the backlash that followed his closing remarks on Friday’s edition of Politics Today, in which he warned that the process of rigging the 2027 elections had already begun.
The broadcaster said his comments were neither an accusation against any political party nor an allegation against a particular candidate or sponsor, but a warning about irregularities in the preliminary voters’ register released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He explained that his concerns were informed by INEC’s own admission that some registration officials who had access to the commission’s system were responsible for introducing questionable records into the voters’ database.
According to him, the fact that the commission had acknowledged the irregularities and described the register as preliminary, with corrections ongoing, made it imperative for Nigerians to take the matter seriously.
To illustrate the danger, Okinbaloye presented a hypothetical scenario in which a polling unit had 600 registered voters, but 400 of the entries turned out to be fictitious or otherwise invalid.
He questioned what would happen if Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) had already been issued against such entries and those responsible subsequently defeated the accreditation safeguards, cast ballots in their names and had the votes counted.
‘What would that represent other than electoral manipulation?’ he asked.
He maintained that those attempting to manipulate the voters’ register could only be working towards compromising the electoral process.
‘The election was rigged long before now. Those who manipulated the register or are trying to game the register have no other mission than to rig the poll,’ he said.
Okinbaloye expressed concern that those behind the alleged manipulation might have exploited weaknesses in the system in ways that INEC, political parties, voters and the media had yet to fully understand.
He, however, cautioned that a questionable entry in the register did not automatically translate into a vote, stressing that the critical issue was whether the safeguards put in place by INEC could prevent such entries from being exploited during the election.
He said suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and allegations of voter register padding required immediate investigation rather than public arguments over his choice of words.
According to him, electoral integrity does not begin on election day but several months before voters go to the polls.
‘Don’t forget, an election is not a voting day. The election is several weeks in the process and several months in the process,’ he said.
The journalist urged Nigerians who were angered by his earlier remarks to channel their energy towards addressing the problems identified in the voters’ register rather than attacking the messenger.
He said the ruling party, opposition parties, INEC and security agencies all had reasons to be concerned about the development.
While warning that raising an alarm did not automatically establish the existence of an organised rigging plot, he insisted that the vulnerabilities exposed by the controversy must not be ignored.
Okinbaloye called for a comprehensive investigation, an independent audit of the register and a public account of the irregularities discovered, those responsible and the corrective measures being undertaken before the final register is certified.
He also demanded that every legitimate voter be protected, confirmed invalid entries removed and anyone found to have deliberately manipulated the registration process held accountable, irrespective of political affiliation.
‘My message targets no party or individual. It calls everyone to a shared responsibility. Let us think deeply, examine the evidence, and roll up our sleeves now,’ he said.
The controversy follows revelations by INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, that some registration officials allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce questionable records, including suspected AI-generated photographs, into the preliminary voters’ register.
Bayode, who disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, said the commission discovered the irregularities through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
He explained that while some of the photographs were AI-generated, others resulted from what he described as very poor registration procedures.
INEC had earlier acknowledged the irregularities, explaining that the preliminary register published online was undergoing verification and that the commission was taking corrective measures.
The electoral body said the display, claims and objections exercise was designed to enable Nigerians to scrutinise the register, identify inaccuracies and report questionable entries before its final certification.
It also promised to complete the necessary verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
On Sunday, Okinbaloye reiterated that the 2027 elections were too consequential for Nigerians to remain complacent, insisting that the time to protect the ballot was before it was cast.
‘A credible election begins with a credible voters’ register,’ he declared.