Kenneth Okonkwo, wey be spokesman for di African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, don warn say di appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head di Electoral Operations Department of di Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, fit undermine public trust for di 2027 general election.
Okonkwo talk am during interview on Arise News. Naija News report say Adeyemi-Showunmi na wife of Segun Showunmi, wey be member of di Communication and Strategy Committee of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
Okonkwo argue say di appointment create potential conflict of interest. According to am, allowing di wife of Showunmi to be di electoral operations department officer na ‘rigging the election before the time.’
He explain say di department dey play important role for election administration, including distributing sensitive and non-sensitive materials, recruiting and training ad hoc personnel, coordinating polling and collation activities, and supervising returning officers during elections. Okonkwo say those responsibilities make di position sensitive ahead of di 2027 polls.
He cite di principle of conflict of interest, arguing say public officials must avoid situations wey fit reasonably call their impartiality into question, whether actual bias can be established or not. ‘We are not talking about whether there will be bias. We are saying that anything that has the likelihood of bias is not allowed,’ Okonkwo talk.
