The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has come under scrutiny following reported redeployments involving key officials in its Electoral Operations and Voter Registry departments, with concerns raised over political neutrality, regional representation and the management of critical electoral functions ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The concerns followed reports that Isah Magaji Gummi, who previously headed the Electoral Operations Department, had been redeployed to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi, formerly the Administrative Secretary of INEC’s Lagos office, had been assigned to oversee Electoral Operations at the commission’s headquarters.
The reported changes have prompted questions from sources within the commission and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who has called on INEC to explain the rationale behind the appointments and redeployments and disclose details of arrangements for the production, printing and custody of sensitive election materials.
The concerns also extend to the leadership of INEC’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department, headed by Dr Lawrence Bayode, who was identified in information obtained by ChroniclesReporters as an official from the South-West.
Those raising questions about the reported changes argue that the positions involved are central to the administration of elections and that INEC must demonstrate that appointments to such sensitive departments are based on professional competence, merit and transparent administrative procedures.
However, the concerns and allegations about possible political influence have not been independently established, and the reported redeployments do not, in themselves, constitute evidence of electoral manipulation or partisan conduct by the officials concerned.
According to the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023 Edition, the Electoral Operations Department plays a central role in planning, organising and supervising elections across Nigeria.
Its responsibilities cover several stages of the electoral process, including the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials, management of polling units, recruitment and training of ad hoc election personnel, and coordination of election-day activities.
The department is also responsible for ensuring that polling stations are properly established, accessible to voters and compliant with electoral procedures, including arrangements to accommodate persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Its functions further include supervising collation and returning officers at ward, local government, state and national levels, supporting the accurate tabulation and declaration of results, and overseeing the secure transmission of election data.
The department also works with political parties, election observers and security agencies to support the conduct of elections in accordance with established procedures and electoral laws.
The director overseeing the department therefore occupies a strategically important position in the commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Information obtained by ChroniclesReporters from an insider within INEC indicated that Gummi had been moved from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, while Adeyemi-Showunmi was reportedly assigned to take over his former responsibilities.
The reported redeployment has raised questions about the administrative reasons for moving Gummi from a department responsible for coordinating election operations and the criteria used to select his replacement.
Further questions have centred on the potential perception of political influence arising from the reported appointment of Adeyemi-Showunmi.
Her husband, Otunba Segun Showunmi, is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and convener of The Alternative. He has also publicly expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election, is expected to seek another term in office in 2027.
The reported family connection and Showunmi’s public political position have prompted calls for INEC to explain the safeguards it applies to ensure that personnel decisions involving sensitive electoral responsibilities are free from political considerations.
However, the political activities or public endorsements of an official’s relative do not, by themselves, establish that the official shares those political positions or that the appointment was made for partisan reasons.
An insider who raised concerns about the redeployments argued that the commission should provide a clear explanation of the decisions and address questions surrounding the distribution of responsibilities in departments central to election administration.
The source maintained that public confidence in elections depends not only on the conduct of voting and the announcement of results but also on the transparency and credibility of the administrative decisions made before election day.
The concerns have also extended to INEC’s ICT Department, headed by Bayode, whose responsibilities are important to the commission’s technological and administrative infrastructure.
Technology plays a significant role in several aspects of modern election administration, including voter registration, voter accreditation, data management and the transmission and processing of election-related information.
Those questioning the reported leadership arrangements argue that INEC should demonstrate that officials appointed to strategically important departments possess the necessary professional qualifications and that the process for assigning responsibilities is transparent and politically neutral.
A source within the commission was quoted as saying that the leadership configuration of Electoral Operations and ICT raised questions about the distribution of strategic responsibilities and the need for transparent personnel decisions.
The source said, “The ICT Department, another critical component of the electoral infrastructure, is headed by a southwestern staff member Dr Lawrence Bayode. The leadership configuration of these departments raises questions about the distribution of strategic responsibilities and the need for transparent, politically neutral personnel decisions.”
The concerns have placed INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, under pressure to explain the reported administrative changes and demonstrate that the commission remains independent of the Presidency and the ruling APC.
As the head of the electoral commission, Amupitan is responsible for leading an institution whose credibility is central to Nigeria’s democratic process.
The questions have emerged as political parties and other stakeholders begin preparations for the 2027 general elections, during which INEC will be expected to demonstrate impartiality in its dealings with the ruling party, opposition parties and other participants in the electoral process.
Sources who spoke about the redeployments argued that the commission should address concerns about the neutrality of its internal administrative arrangements before the election period intensifies.
They warned that failure to provide adequate explanations could fuel suspicion among opposition parties and members of the public, even without evidence that the reported appointments were made for partisan purposes.
One source went as far as suggesting that Amupitan should consider resigning if he could not adequately address the concerns surrounding the commission’s administration.
“Professor Joash Amupitan must realise that the credibility of the 2027 general election takes precedence over his continued tenure or resign now,” the source said.
The source further alleged that the reported deployments appeared to support claims that the APC intended to position personnel in strategic departments to facilitate electoral manipulation in 2027.
“Professor Amupitan, as INEC chairman, must recognise that the commission’s constitutional responsibility is to administer elections impartially, independently of the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). These curious deployments appear to confirm the allegation that the APC intends to position some personnel in strategic departments to facilitate electoral manipulation in 2027,” the source added.
The allegation has not been independently substantiated.
The source also urged opposition political parties and civil society organisations to demand clarification from INEC and seek assurances that its Electoral Operations and ICT departments would remain insulated from partisan interference.
Among the questions raised are the administrative reasons for Gummi’s reported redeployment, the professional and procedural criteria used to assign Adeyemi-Showunmi to oversee Electoral Operations, and the safeguards in place when officials are appointed to departments responsible for critical election functions.
INEC has also been urged to explain how it identifies and manages potential conflicts of interest and ensures that the political affiliations or public activities of relatives do not compromise the commission’s institutional independence.
The questions have assumed greater significance following a separate demand by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who called on the commission to provide full details of reported changes in key departments and arrangements for producing, printing and safeguarding sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 elections.
Atiku made the demand in a statement issued on Sunday, October 11, 2026, by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, reported changes in INEC’s Electoral Operations Department had raised questions about the commission’s impartiality and the procedures governing appointments to positions central to election administration.
The statement identified Director Isa Magaji Gummi as having been moved from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi was reportedly assigned to head Electoral Operations. It also identified Dr Lawrence Bayode as the head of the ICT Department.
Atiku called on INEC to explain the reasons for the changes, disclose the criteria used in making the appointments and redeployments, and demonstrate that the decisions were based on merit, followed due process and were free from political interference.
“These departments are at the heart of election administration. INEC must explain these decisions, publish the criteria applied and show that every appointment and redeployment followed due process, was based on merit and was free from political interference,” he said.
The former vice-president, however, cautioned against assuming that any official was compromised because of their ethnicity, background or personal associations.
He maintained that the commission should provide verifiable assurances where reported political connections or patterns in appointments raised concerns among the public.
Atiku’s intervention also extended to arrangements for the production, printing and custody of sensitive election materials, an area that can have significant implications for the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.
He called for full disclosure of relevant details to enable Nigerians to understand how the commission intends to protect sensitive materials and maintain public confidence ahead of the polls.
The demand adds to the growing calls for INEC to explain its administrative decisions and demonstrate that its preparations for the 2027 elections are guided by institutional independence and transparent procedures.
The commission’s response to the questions could help establish whether the reported redeployments were routine administrative decisions or whether additional safeguards and explanations are necessary to address concerns about the appearance of political influence.
Efforts by ChroniclesReporters to reach Dayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC chairman, for comments were unsuccessful. Calls to his mobile phone went unanswered, and he had not responded to a message sent to him as of the time the report was filed.
INEC had not provided a response to the specific concerns detailed in the report as of that time.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the reported redeployments have placed renewed attention on the importance of transparent personnel decisions, clear explanations of administrative procedures and safeguards capable of protecting the commission’s independence and public confidence in the electoral process.