• Police, CAPPA move against money politics, vote-buying
• IPC engages journalists on credible poll

Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, to step aside over a crisis of confidence he allegedly created ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Meanwhile, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) hasraised fresh concerns over the growing influence of money in Nigeria’s electoral process, warning that vote-buying and the dominance of wealthy political actors pose a serious threat to credible elections.

To ensure credible elections, the police have vowed to arrest vote buyers and other criminals during the June 20, 2026, governorship election in Ekiti State.

This was just as the International Press Centre (IPC) engaged journalists in Ekiti on a two-day stakeholders’ dialogue on a credible election.

In a statement by its Media Coordinator, James Ezema, MCE said its intervention was aimed at protecting Nigeria’s electoral integrity and restoring public trust in the electoral body.

It is alleged that recent digital footprints purportedly linking the INEC chairman to partisan expressions favourable to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) raised serious questions about his neutrality.

The group noted that although Amupitan had reportedly denied the allegations, the denials had not resolved public concerns and instead heightened calls for independent verification.

According to the organisation, the controversy could escalate into legal and institutional challenges that could distract the commission in the build-up to the 2027 elections.

It further claimed that identity verification systems, digital access logs and other forensic tools could be used to determine the authenticity of the allegations if subjected to an independent investigation.

Beyond the immediate controversy, MCE expressed concern about what it described as a growing pattern of actions by INEC, interpreted by some stakeholders as unfavourable to opposition political parties.

MCE therefore demanded that the INEC chairman temporarily vacate office to allow for a transparent and impartial probe by an independent panel composed of judicial officers,
digital forensic experts, and civil society representatives to investigate the matter.

In a statement jointly issued by the Board Chairman of CAPPA, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, and the Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, after its board meeting in Abuja, the organisation asserted that the increasing monetisation of politics continues to undermine public trust, distort democratic outcomes and weaken governance.

CAPPA cautioned that if left unchecked, the trend could erode the legitimacy of the 2027 general elections, stressing that democracy must reflect the will of the people, not the highest bidder.

“The influence of money in politics has reached alarming levels,” the organisation noted. “Vote buying and the capture of democratic institutions by powerful interests are undermining citizens’ confidence in the electoral process.”

Concerns over vote-buying and electoral inducement have persisted in Nigeria’s recent elections, with observers repeatedly highlighting the practice as a major threat to democratic consolidation.

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in Ekiti, represented by the Command’s spokesman, SP Sunday Abutu, disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti during ‘Ekiti State Government Media-led Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Credible Election’ organised, at the weekend, by the International Press Centre (IPC),  in collaboration with the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) and sponsored by the European Union (EU).

Abutu, who said the command would be firm in tackling vote-buying during the election, acknowledged that criminal elements often attempt to undermine electoral processes but assured that the police had strategies in place to prevent such activities.

He noted that the police would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to maintain peace and order, stressing that the joint objective of all actors involved in the electoral process is to deliver a credible election in the state.

According to him, the command is already aware of the tense political atmosphere often associated with elections and would remain proactive in addressing emerging security threats.

“We are going to be tough on vote-buying and trading. We will always have criminal elements, and that is why we have the police. They will try to beat our strategies, but we will deploy our forces to prevent that menace,” he said.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ekiti, Bunmi Omosehindemi, emphasisedthe importance of voter education and proper accreditation processes for the success of any election.

In his welcome remarks, the IPC Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, explained that the dialogue was organised under ‘EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media’.

Arogundade said the programme was part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Director of the Journalism Clinic, Taiwo Obe, urged journalists to retool and embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) to remain effective in the evolving media landscape, shaped by changing patterns of news consumption.

According to Obe, the digital transformation of the media industry requires journalists to continuously upgrade their skills to remain relevant and effective in their professional practice.