2027 Election: Seun Okinbaloye Explains ‘Rigging’ Remark, Says Warning Was Not Against Any Party

2027 Election: Seun Okinbaloye Explains ‘Rigging’ Remark, Says Warning Was Not Against Any Party

Popular Channels Television journalist and broadcaster, Seun Okinbaloye, has defended his controversial warning that Nigeria’s 2027 general election was already being rigged, insisting that his remarks were not targeted at any political party, candidate or individual.

Okinbaloye made the clarification on Sunday during Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, following widespread reactions to his closing remarks on Friday’s edition of Politics Today.

The broadcaster explained that his warning was specifically about alleged irregularities in the voters’ register and the possibility of manipulating the electoral process before election day.

He said he neither mentioned any political party nor accused any presidential candidate or identified any individual as sponsoring the alleged manipulation.

“In my warning, I didn’t name any political party, accuse any candidate, and identify any sponsor. I only said 2027 election is already being rigged through fake voter register,” he said.

The clarification followed public debate over his earlier declaration that the 2027 election was already being rigged, with some Nigerians interpreting the statement as an accusation against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while others believed it was directed at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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Why Okinbaloye Raised the Alarm

During Friday’s Politics Today programme, Okinbaloye warned that electoral manipulation did not necessarily begin on election day, arguing that the process could be compromised much earlier through the manipulation of the voters’ register.

He urged INEC to urgently investigate suspected irregularities, including fake voter registrations, underage entries, duplicate records and other questionable information in the electoral database.

The journalist maintained that allowing an inaccurate voters’ register to remain unchecked could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections, regardless of the safeguards introduced on election day.

INEC’s Admission Fuels Electoral Concerns

The controversy comes against the backdrop of revelations by INEC‘s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, that some registration officials allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce questionable records into the commission’s preliminary voters’ register.

Bayode reportedly disclosed during an interview on Arise Television that the commission discovered suspicious entries, including photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

He explained that the irregularities were detected through INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), adding that some questionable records were also linked to poor registration procedures.

INEC had acknowledged that the preliminary voters’ register was undergoing verification and that the public display, claims and objections exercise was intended to enable Nigerians to identify and report inaccuracies.

The commission is expected to complete its verification and data-cleaning exercise before certifying the final Register of Voters.

Okinbaloye Calls for Urgent Action

Okinbaloye insisted that Nigerians should be more concerned about addressing the alleged irregularities than engaging in arguments over his choice of words.

He stressed that electoral credibility must be protected long before voting begins, warning that weaknesses in the registration process could create opportunities for electoral malpractice.

He also called for a comprehensive investigation into the suspicious entries, an independent audit of the voters’ register and accountability for anyone found to have deliberately manipulated the registration process.

According to him, the responsibility of protecting the integrity of the 2027 elections rests not only on INEC but also on political parties, security agencies and Nigerians generally.

He maintained that his warning was not intended to favour or attack any political interest but to draw attention to potential threats to the country’s electoral process.

The development has renewed conversations about the credibility of INEC’s voters’ register and the need for transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

2027 Election: Seun Okinbaloye Explains ‘Rigging’ Remark, Says Warning Was Not Against Any Party