By Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano State, Abdulsamad Abdu Zango, has said electoral malpractice is largely perpetrated at polling units by political actors and not by the commission.
Zango stated this on Thursday at a one-day stakeholders’ engagement on “Strengthening Electoral Engagement for Peaceful 2027 General Elections in Nigeria” held in Kano.
The event was organised by Mambayya House, Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies, Bayero University, Kano, in partnership with Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Abuja.
Represented by the INEC Director in Kano, Sulaiman Alkali, the REC said political actors and other stakeholders at polling units had a significant role to play in protecting election results.
He explained that once results had been recorded and transmitted from polling units, INEC officials had limited ability to alter them.
“Most of this rigging is done at the polling unit level. That is the problem we are having. If a particular candidate is very popular in a particular area, there might be attempts to rig the votes of that particular polling unit,” he said.
Zango urged political party agents to be more vigilant in safeguarding votes cast for their candidates.
He added that most electoral officials engaged by INEC were temporary personnel recruited specifically to conduct elections.
“INEC does not even have staff to engage in rigging. All the electoral staff are ad hoc. They are people engaged to do the election work,” he said.
Stakeholders Must Work Together
Speaking at the event, the Director of Mambayya House, Prof. Habu Muhammad, said the engagement was designed to bring together stakeholders directly connected to Nigeria’s democratisation process.
He said civil society organisations, security agencies, traditional institutions, academics and other stakeholders needed to collaborate to promote peaceful, free, fair and credible elections in 2027.
Muhammad said although similar engagements had been held in the past, the persistence of electoral challenges made continued dialogue and intervention necessary.
He urged stakeholders to learn from previous electoral experiences and develop mechanisms capable of addressing challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The meeting is aimed at ensuring that our negative past has now been turned to a positive future. That is precisely why we are here,” he said.
Election Is a Continuous Process
Representing the Executive Director of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, Alhaji Abdul-Qarni Abdulrazak said the organisation had partnered with Mambayya House for more than two decades.
He said the partnership had produced programmes focusing on youth development, elections and anti-corruption.
Abdulrazak stressed that elections should be viewed as a continuous process rather than an activity restricted to election day.
“Election is not a one-day programme. Even though the vote will be one day, it is a process. And if we did not start the process in time, we may have a shambles election,” he said.
He called for sustained engagement among all stakeholders to ensure peaceful, transparent and credible elections.
Abdulrazak also urged Nigerians, irrespective of religion, age or social background, to take an active interest in the electoral process and recognise their responsibility in choosing political leaders.
Police Assures Kano Residents of Security
Also speaking, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, described the engagement as timely ahead of the 2027 general elections and the expected commencement of political campaigns.
Bakori said credible and peaceful elections required the collective efforts of INEC, security agencies, traditional institutions, academics, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
He said the police would focus on maintaining law and order and ensuring that citizens could exercise their civic rights without threats or intimidation.
“The police will maintain law and order and make sure that everybody exercises their civil duties and responsibilities without having any threats. People of Kano will see security arrangements like never before,” he said.
The stakeholders’ engagement is expected to strengthen cooperation among key actors in Nigeria’s electoral process and support efforts to prevent electoral violence while promoting peaceful participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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