The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain recent personnel postings following allegations that officers from northern states were being replaced in strategic positions by officials from Lagos and other South-West states.
The party said the reported changes had raised concerns about possible ethnic considerations in the deployment of electoral personnel, warning that unresolved suspicions could undermine public confidence in the commission.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said it had received intelligence and direct complaints concerning personnel movements across some of INEC’s departments and stations.
According to the party, officers who had served in strategic units, including Electoral Operations and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), were allegedly being transferred from several northern states and replaced by personnel from the South-West.
The ADC said it had identified specific officers affected by the reported changes. It argued that although INEC might regard the movements as routine administrative decisions, the alleged pattern warranted clarification because of its potential implications for electoral impartiality.
The party stated that it was not accusing the commission of having a hidden political agenda. However, it maintained that any personnel decisions capable of creating the perception of sectional preference should be addressed openly rather than dismissed without explanation.
The ADC urged INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan to publish details of the affected postings, the criteria used to select officers for deployment and the reasons behind the changes. It said disclosure of this information would help reassure Nigerians that personnel decisions were based on transparent and consistent standards rather than ethnic or regional considerations.
The dispute centres on the sensitivity of staffing decisions within an institution responsible for organising and overseeing elections. Electoral Operations and ICT are among the functions the party identified as particularly important in its concerns about the recent deployments.
The ADC’s claims remain allegations presented by the party. The information supplied does not include an independent confirmation of the alleged pattern or a response from INEC addressing the specific transfers.
A clarification from the commission would therefore be important in establishing the circumstances surrounding the postings, including whether they formed part of routine administrative changes and what criteria informed the decisions.
For the ADC, transparency is necessary to prevent doubts about the commission’s neutrality from growing. Its request places the responsibility on INEC to explain its administrative decisions and demonstrate that officers are treated fairly regardless of their region or language.
The commission’s response, including any published rationale for the deployments, would help the public assess the allegations and understand the basis for the changes.
