The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to examine concerns surrounding the political activities of university lecturers who may be recruited to perform sensitive electoral duties during the 2027 general elections.
The development follows the declaration of support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election by more than 600 senior academics from public universities across Northern Nigeria.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Ita-Messi, said the Commission would review reports involving lecturers accused of openly taking partisan positions and determine whether further action was necessary.
“Engaging lecturers is a Commission policy,” Ita-Messi said, while stressing that allegations concerning individual officials would not be ignored.
She explained that INEC would examine the reports, establish the facts and take appropriate decisions based on its findings. According to her, any decision reached by the Commission would be made public.
The controversy followed a political gathering held in Kaduna, where senior academics expressed support for Tinubu’s bid to remain in office after the 2027 presidential election.
The academics were brought together at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Centre by Ibrahim Masari, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters. The meeting focused on the performance of the Tinubu administration and Nigeria’s political direction ahead of the next general election.
At the end of the engagement, the academics said they had considered developments in the economy, security, education, infrastructure and other sectors before announcing their support for Tinubu.
They, however, said their position should not be interpreted as unconditional support for every government policy, calling for stronger measures to address insecurity, unemployment, food prices and transportation costs.
The endorsement has raised concerns because university lecturers are often considered for sensitive electoral assignments, including the positions of Returning and Collation Officers.
Opposition figures have questioned whether lecturers who publicly support particular candidates can maintain public confidence in their neutrality if appointed to duties involving the collation, transmission or declaration of election results.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential figure Peter Obi have both raised concerns over the possible deployment of openly partisan academics as electoral officials.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) also called on INEC to make its criteria for selecting Returning and Collation Officers more transparent.
The party acknowledged that university lecturers, like other citizens, have the constitutional right to support political parties and candidates. However, it argued that lecturers who publicly endorse candidates should not be appointed to sensitive electoral positions where their neutrality could become a subject of dispute.
The ADC further urged INEC to publish the names of proposed Returning and Collation Officers ahead of elections to allow political parties and members of the public to raise concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has distanced itself from the Kaduna declaration, stressing that the union remains politically neutral.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said individual academics were free to participate in politics in their personal capacities but could not present their political activities as the position of the union.
“We have never, and we will never endorse any political party candidate,” Piwuna said.
He added that ASUU’s constitution prevents the union from taking partisan political positions and urged the public not to associate the union with the activities of individual lecturers.
The Kaduna academics, while announcing their support for Tinubu, also acknowledged economic challenges facing Nigerians, including increased living and transportation costs and inflation.
They nevertheless cited areas where they said they had observed progress, including education financing, agriculture, infrastructure, business support, investment and the digital economy.
They also called for increased investment in education, healthcare, roads, electricity and agriculture, as well as stronger measures to address insecurity.
INEC’s review is expected to determine whether the reported partisan activities of individual lecturers have implications for their potential appointment to sensitive electoral responsibilities ahead of the 2027 elections.
