• INEC alerts on fake election recruitment portal, denies replacing NDC candidates in Anambra
• ADC tasks guber candidates on issues-based campaigns

After the August 15, 2026, Osun State Governorship Election, Enough is Enough (EiE) has rallied the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral systems ahead of 2027.

It stressed that it is not just about what went wrong or right on election day, but about what must change going forward, as Nigeria prepares for next year’s ballot.

On its part, INEC has cautioned Nigerians against a fraudulent online recruitment notice claiming that the commission has begun hiring and training ad hoc personnel ahead of the 2027 election.

It denied allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that its officials removed candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 Anambra State House of Assembly election and replaced them with impostors.

As the official commencement of governorship campaigns and rallies for the 2027 hot up, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has directed its candidates to engage in issues-based campaigns that align with its position on subsidy retention and avoid violence or hate speeches throughout the period.

EiE’s citizen observation reports revealed recurring challenges, including delayed deployment of officials and materials, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) failures, accessibility gaps, threats to ballot secrecy, voter intimidation and alleged vote-buying. These incidents are not ends in themselves; they are signals of where INEC’s existing systems must improve before 2027.

The Senior Media and Project Officer of EiE, Akindeji Aromaye, noted: “If a BVAS failed, if a polling unit opened late, if a voter was intimidated, we need to know why.”

And what will be done differently before 2027.”

According to the body in a document, yesterday, the Osun election provided a real-world test of INEC’s systems. “Observers documented polling units where officials and materials arrived late, BVAS devices malfunctioned and accessibility commitments were not fully met. In some areas, voters faced intimidation and threats to ballot secrecy, while in others, security personnel responded promptly to protect citizens,” he added.

These contrasting experiences highlighted the unevenness of Nigeria’s electoral process. They also underscored the importance of institutional learning. EiE noted that the credibility of the 2027 elections will depend on whether INEC can take these lessons and translate them into reforms that citizens can feel at the polling unit.

Going forward, EiE Nigeria urges INEC to treat Osun as a test case and to act decisively. It harped on election readiness, technology reliability, citizen feedback, accessibility, security and observer engagement.

According to EiE, the credibility of the 2027 general elections depends on whether these lessons are acted upon now. The Executive Director, Ufuoma Nnamdi-Udeh, emphasised: “The work of strengthening democracy cannot stop when the votes have been counted. The opportunity now is to examine where systems worked, where they did not, and what needs to change. We want the lessons from Ekiti and Osun to become improvements citizens can experience in 2027.”

INEC said the fake notice, which is being circulated online, directs interested applicants to a website presented as an official recruitment platform.

INEC, however, said neither the recruitment announcement nor the website originated from the commission.

It stated yesterday: “The attention of INEC has been drawn to a message circulating online claiming that the commission is recruiting and training ad hoc staff for the 2027 general election,” noting that the message contains a link directing members of the public to a purported recruitment website.

“This information is not from INEC. The website/link being circulated is not an official INEC recruitment portal,” the commission said.

The commission also distributed the lists of governorship and House of Assembly candidates for various political parties to its offices in the 20 local councils of Lagos State. This was confirmed during a visit to the INEC Lagos State headquarters at Sabo, Yaba yesterday.

By the time of the visit, the state office was empty as staff had closed for the day.

But security personnel on duty said party members and chieftains had been coming to the headquarters since morning seeking the candidate lists, only to be redirected to the LGAs.

“The lists were taken to local governments. We have been treating this kind of matter since morning as many party members have been coming even from Abuja and other places, but they have been directed as I am directing you too,” a security officer who pleaded anonymity said.

As at the time of filing this report, no INEC personnel was on the ground at the Yaba office.

On the Anambra matter, the commission said it had no legal authority to nominate or substitute candidates for political parties, stressing that the responsibility for nominating and submitting candidates rests solely with the parties, subject to the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws.

The commission’s position followed NDC’s allegation that 10 names published on INEC’s list of candidates for Anambra state constituencies were unknown to the party.

The NDC had accused INEC officials of smuggling the names into its list after allegedly preventing the party from uploading its authentic candidates to the commission’s candidate nomination portal.

NDC National Chairman, Moses Zuwoghe, alleged that the names were smuggled into the party’s list by INEC officials and called for an investigation covering Anambra and other states, including Benue and Imo.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of ADC, Senator David Mark, who gave the directive, also cautioned the candidates against empty promises, stressing that the failure of the ruling party allows the ADC to speak directly to issues that agitate the minds of the people and are of priority to them.

Mark gave this admonition in Abuja yesterday at a consultation meeting with the governorship candidates of the party from across the states, where he urged them to avoid making promises they do not intend to keep when they come to office because it could erode the integrity of the party.

“We are ADC. Our campaign must reflect the kind of country that we would like to build. Avoid hate speech, ethnic or religious profiling. We cannot be associated with violence in whatever form. Unlike the ruling party and the President, ADC does not believe that all is fair in politics,” he stated.

The party chairman asked the candidates to familiarise themselves with the Governance and Ethical Principles of the party as articulated in its ‘Orange Book’, as well as the party’s manifesto.