Ife Salako Calls for Accountability Over Alleged Election Rigging, Says 2027 Must Be Different

Political commentator and social media personality Ife Salako has called for accountability for electoral officials who may be involved in manipulating election results, as preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections intensify.

Salako made the remarks in a post on X while reacting to users who, according to him, were tagging the Department of State Services (DSS) to his posts after he called for sanctions against Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials allegedly planning to compromise elections.

He wrote that those responsible for electoral malpractice should be held accountable, while insisting that the 2027 elections must be protected from manipulation.

“APC rascals are tagging DSS to my post because I said we must hold any INEC returning officers who plans to rig elections accountable,” Salako wrote.

He further criticised those who, according to him, were more concerned about his comments than about alleged plans to manipulate elections.

“Rigging elections in Nigeria must end in 2027,” he added.

Salako's comments followed an earlier post in which he called for the identities of INEC returning officers to be known and warned against any attempt to compromise the electoral process. His posts have generated reactions from supporters and critics online.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has already commenced preparations for the 2027 general elections, including the recruitment process for election personnel.

INEC's official portal currently provides for the engagement of various categories of election staff, including Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers and Registration Area Centre managers. The commission says applicants must not be members or supporters of political parties or candidates.

INEC has also previously held engagements with collation and returning officers as part of efforts to improve the integrity of result management and address lessons from previous elections.

The commission's chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, has repeatedly stressed the importance of protecting the electoral process and working with relevant institutions on election security and electoral offences.

Salako's latest intervention places attention on the role of returning officers, who are responsible for important stages of election result collation and declaration.

However, his allegations about specific officials planning to rig elections were not accompanied in the post reviewed by publicly verifiable evidence identifying particular returning officers or demonstrating an actual plan to manipulate the 2027 elections.

The comments have nevertheless added to the growing online debate over election transparency, the independence of electoral officials and the measures needed to prevent electoral malpractice ahead of the 2027 polls.

With preparations for the elections already underway, attention is expected to remain on INEC, political parties, security agencies and other stakeholders as they work to ensure that the electoral process complies with Nigeria's electoral laws and regulations.