2027: ‘It’s not in your place to tell Nigerians if INEC is neutral’ – Sambo to Tinubu

The Director of News, Arise News, Sumner Sambo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to stay away from defence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Sumner wants the President to understand that it is not his (Tinubu) place to tell Nigerians if the electoral umpire has been fair or not.

Sumner said this in response to President Tinubu, who on Tuesday defended INEC ahead of the 2027 general elections, rejecting concerns regarding the electoral body’s impartiality and accusing political oppositions of making baseless claims about the Commission.

The President expressed these views during a meeting with the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, headed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, at the State House in Abuja, as stated in a release by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Following the Catholic bishops’ appeal for his administration to ensure free, fair, and credible elections in 2027, which they described as a key legacy expected from his government, the president reiterated that INEC has maintained its neutrality and has not coerced any political party or candidate.

Tinubu said, “INEC is neutral. They have never intimidated anyone. If political opponents are raising alarms, perhaps they are merely fearful of their own shadows and the uncertainty surrounding their affiliations, not me.”

In response, Sambo told Arise News, “It is not the place of President Tinubu to tell Nigerians if INEC has been fair or not.

“Nigerians need to see fairness from INEC. INEC needs to distance itself from the government or people close to the government so we do not have a situation where people misread pronouncements from the president.”

Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, are the major contenders in the 2027 presidential election.