Yiaga Africa’s Samson Itodo: Nigerians Have Lost Trust in INEC, Calls for Credible Leadership Ahead of 2027 Elections

Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa and an election development expert, has expressed concern over the declining public trust in Nigeria’s electoral system. Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, he outlined the challenges ahead as the tenure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, nears its end.

According to Itodo, the transition is highly significant because a new INEC leadership will oversee the 2027 general elections. He warned that if the process is mishandled, it could jeopardize the credibility of the polls.

“You recall a few weeks ago, Yiaga Africa released our status of electoral integrity report for 2025, and one of the projections was that the 2027 election would most likely be the most compromised and perhaps the most expensive,” he said. “If this leadership transition is not carefully managed, citizens are not going to trust INEC.”

Itodo acknowledged Professor Yakubu’s achievements, including the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), and the local printing of ballot papers and result sheets for the first time in Nigeria’s history. However, he stressed that despite these reforms, “public trust in the electoral process has actually dampened because of issues around electoral fraud and sabotage by other institutions.”

He noted that technologies initially seen as game changers have been exploited to undermine elections, adding that “politicians, coupled with complicit INEC officials, leveraged the same technologies to subvert the process.”

On Yakubu’s successor, Itodo insisted that the next INEC chairman and commissioners must be individuals of unquestionable integrity, competence, and independence. “The constitution sets two conditions: nonpartisanship and unquestionable integrity. But these are inadequate. The next INEC boss must not have been a member of any political party, past or present, and must have the courage to resist political pressure,” he emphasized.

Itodo also called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to ensure transparency in the appointment process by inviting public scrutiny, publishing nominees’ names, and allowing civil society to submit petitions. “Those screenings should be televised. The Senate should enhance credibility and transparency in the process,” he said.

He concluded that the credibility of the 2027 elections depends on the decisions taken now. “This is a golden opportunity for the president and Senate. Appoint individuals with impeccable character, courage, and mental alertness. The INEC job is tedious and demands strong, healthy people who can deliver credible elections,” he added.

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