Atiku's Camp Kicks Against Tinubu's Defence of INEC

• ADC chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo criticised President Bola Tinubu for defending INEC over bias allegations, saying the electoral body had not earned public confidence
• Okonkwo, who speaks for Atiku Abubakar ahead of 2027, cited concerns over security and governance as reasons Tinubu may struggle to win re-election
• The ADC spokesperson also accused the ruling APC of attempting to weaken opposition parties and undermine Nigeria's democratic process before 2027

An African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has called on President Bola Tinubu to step down after his first term, arguing that his record in office would make a second mandate difficult to justify before Nigerian voters in 2027.

Okonkwo made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily on Friday, where he also took aim at the President for publicly defending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against allegations of partiality.

In his view, Tinubu had effectively appointed himself a spokesman for the electoral body rather than engaging with legitimate concerns about its credibility. He argued that INEC had done little to earn public trust, pointing to unanswered questions from the 2023 general election as evidence that the commission remained a contested institution.

Okonkwo on INEC and Tinubu's defence

President Tinubu had, while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by its president, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday, dismissed questions about INEC's neutrality. He maintained that the commission was impartial and suggested that critics were merely "afraid of their own shadows."

Okonkwo rejected that position outright, saying poor governance and deteriorating security conditions under the current administration would weigh heavily against Tinubu if he chose to seek a second term.

APC accused of stifling opposition

Beyond his comments on INEC, Okonkwo, who also serves as a spokesman for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the build-up to the 2027 elections, used the appearance to accuse the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of deliberately trying to weaken opposition parties. He described the APC as "a scourge" on Nigeria's democracy, alleging it was employing multiple tactics to prevent opposition groups from organising and campaigning ahead of the next election cycle.

He also referred to a recent Court of Appeal judgment that reversed an earlier ruling which had directed INEC to deregister the ADC and four other political parties. Okonkwo framed the court's decision as a victory for the ADC, saying the party had successfully fought off what he characterised as an orchestrated attempt to erase it through legal proceedings.

Analyst speaks on Tinubu vs Atiku

Speaking on Atiku's criticism of Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election, Omotayo Yusuf, a political analyst, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, posited that the dynamics of the 2027 presidential election are different from that of 2023.

He said:

"I think the next general election or the next presidential election is unique in the sense that while some or many might think it's following the same trajectory of 2023, where we had the triumvirate of Atiku, Peter Obi, and Bola Tinubu running for election, the dynamics are slightly different this time, where we have an incumbent running against Atiku and Peter Obi."