Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections, declaring that electoral fraud would be resisted.
Melaye issued the warning in a post on his X handle on Sunday, accusing the commission of engaging in activities suggesting what he described as “anticipatory rigging”.
“The activities of INEC in recent times point at anticipatory rigging, which will be resisted,” he wrote.
The former lawmaker urged INEC to reform its operations ahead of the elections, warning those contemplating electoral manipulation against doing so.
“INEC must be born again this time because we will not allow rigging. Rig and say your final prayer,” he added.
Melaye, who recently joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has repeatedly criticised INEC over its handling of electoral matters.
His latest warning comes amid growing concerns over suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs discovered during the commission’s preliminary voter registration exercise.
The controversy has also been accompanied by complaints from political parties over the omission of some candidates from INEC’s final list.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged INEC to strictly adhere to its published timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The party also cautioned against any alteration of electoral deadlines capable of giving political parties undue advantages.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, made the position known while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Yilwatda, accompanied by members of the party’s National Working Committee, called for a fair, transparent and predictable electoral process.
He disclosed that the APC had inaugurated its campaign council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded its candidates to INEC’s portal.
The party chairman claimed that the APC had presented candidates for all the positions it was contesting, unlike some opposition parties allegedly experiencing difficulties completing their submissions.
Yilwatda further claimed that the APC had approximately 13 million registered members nationwide, with more than 261,000 executive members across ward, local government, state and national levels.
He said the party’s membership records could be verified through National Identification Numbers and voter identification details.
On its political strength, Yilwatda claimed that the APC controlled 31 states, with 88 senators and 208 members of the House of Representatives.
However, he maintained that the party’s numerical advantage should not translate into the suppression of opposition parties.
“Being the largest political party does not mean that we want to suppress anybody. We want a democratic environment in which every party can organise, campaign and seek the support of Nigerians without fear,” he said.
Yilwatda also assured the ECOWAS delegation that the APC would not exploit its ruling-party status to intimidate political opponents.
He insisted that all parties must enjoy equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms to communicate their programmes to Nigerians.
The competing positions come as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with INEC facing increasing scrutiny over its preparedness, transparency and ability to guarantee a credible electoral process.
