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Serious allegations have emerged suggesting potential undue influence on senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Sources within INEC told SaharaReporters that land allocations and financial inducements were extended to numerous top Commission officials, raising questions about the independence and credibility of Nigeria’s electoral umpire.
According to insiders, more than 29 senior INEC officials were offered parcels of land within the Federal Capital Territory, along with financial incentives reportedly exceeding $50,000 per individual.
Those named include the Secretary to the Commission, several National Commissioners, and Directors.
Specifically, the individuals allegedly involved include Mrs. Rose Omoa Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary to the Commission; National Commissioners Sam Olumekun, Dr. Ken Ukeagu, Mr. Haruna Mohammed, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, Dr. Bala Bila, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, Prof. Sani Adam (SAN), Abdulrazaq Tukur Yusuf, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, and Prof. Nwambam Aja; as well as Directors Olawale Ibrahim S., Dr. Binta K. Mohammed, Isah Magaji Gummi, Lawrence Bayode, Victoria Eta-Messi, and six other Directors of the Commission.
The sources further allege that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, may have indirectly benefited from similar arrangements, with a particularly large parcel of land reportedly exceeding 30 hectares linked to him via proxy.
The reports indicate that the land allocations initially came with Rights of Occupancy (R of O).
“However, due to non-payment of the required Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) fees within the stipulated 21-day period, as required under FCT/AGIS (Abuja Geographic Information System) regulations, the allocations were reportedly revoked,” an insider told SaharaReporters.
Subsequent interventions allegedly included financial assistance to cover the fees or complete waivers, enabling officials to retain ownership without personal cost.
“These steps to revalidate the expired allocations reportedly included either financial support to cover the C of O fees or the possible waiver of such fees entirely, thereby enabling beneficiaries to retain ownership without personal cost,” a source said.
Each plot’s estimated market value is said to exceed ₦180 million.
However, efforts by SaharaReporters to reach Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to a text message. Similar attempts to obtain a reaction from INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, also proved unsuccessful.
On Wednesday, INEC announced plans to remove the names of Senator David Mark and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, from its official portal as leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing a subsisting court dispute over the party’s leadership.
Mark is the National Chairman while Aregbesola is the National Secretary of the party.
The electoral body also declared that it would suspend recognition of any faction or leadership of the ADC pending the final determination of the case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The decision was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday by National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
INEC said the move followed “preservatory orders” issued by the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 involving Senator David Mark and Nafiu Bala Gombe.
The commission explained that the court had directed all parties to maintain the existing situation before the suit was filed and to refrain from actions that could undermine the ongoing proceedings.
Later on Wednesday, SaharaReporters confirmed that INEC had removed the names of the ADC leaders from its portal, replacing them with the notation “By court order.”
Meanwhile, the ADC has called for the immediate resignation of the INEC Chairman, accusing the electoral body of partisanship and undermining Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The opposition party said its demand became necessary following what it described as the alleged alignment of the electoral umpire with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that the Commission had lost the credibility required to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.
Amupitan has defended the commission’s decision to derecognise the National Working Committee (NWC) aligned with Senator David Mark-led ADC, insisting that the electoral body merely complied with subsisting court orders and did not take sides in the ongoing leadership dispute rocking the party.
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