2027: 600 Lecturers Endorsement Of Tinubu Rigging Plan – Obi Media Office

The Peter Obi Media Office, has said the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election by approximately 600 university academics is a grand plan to rig the 2027 general election.

Over 600 lecturers in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over weekend endorsed President Tinubu for a second term in office.

This, according to the Obi Media Office is profoundly troubling as it signifies an early attempt to build and legitimise a network of partisan actors ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Idris Zekeri, the office said these individuals are not just 600 private citizens expressing their political preferences but they belong to an institution that has frequently provided electoral officials, including returning officers.

The statement said the lecturers public backing for the incumbent consequently raised a serious and unavoidable question of whether the framework for manipulating the 2027 election is already being established.

“Electoral rigging does not suddenly occur on election day; it begins months or even years earlier through the identification, cultivation, and placement of individuals capable of influencing the process when votes are finally cast.

“That is why Nigerians must remain vigilant now. When academics who might be assigned sensitive electoral responsibilities openly organise to endorse the very candidate whose election they might later help oversee, the risk of conflict of interest is evident.

“This sets the stage for a compromised electoral process and undermines public trust in the impartiality of those who may be responsible for announcing the results.

“Let no one deceive Nigerians: preparations for electoral manipulation may start long before voting begins. We therefore urge INEC to release the names of all 600 + academics involved in this or any other political endorsement and to formally prohibit them from serving as Returning Officers, Collation Officers, or electoral staff during the 2027 general elections,” it added.

The promoters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi insisted that INEC must publish the complete list of all prospective Collation and Returning Officers well in advance of future elections, allowing civil society, political parties, and the public to evaluate their political neutrality.

The media office further called on university governing councils and academic bodies nationwide to adopt strict conflict- of- interest rules that prevent staff from using their professional academic positions to facilitate partisan political mobilisation.

“Nigerians are watching. The machinery for rigging must not be allowed to take root before the election even begins. The people must choose their leaders, and the outcome must be decided by their votes—not by a pre- arranged electoral network,” the statement added.