Primate Ayodele Warns Of Fake Polling Units During 2027 Elections

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission against an alleged plot to establish fake polling units and deploy bogus electoral materials during the 2027 general elections.

Ayodele, in a statement issued on Sunday by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, claimed that the purported scheme would be used to manipulate votes and disenfranchise unsuspecting voters across the country.

According to him, the development could undermine the credibility of the election if INEC fails to take preventive measures and properly educate voters ahead of the polls.

He said, “For the upcoming election in Nigeria, I am seeing a lot of fake things regarding the election which the INEC must take seriously. I am seeing fake polling units and booths spread across the country to weaken the votes of some individuals and rig some people out.”

Ayodele urged the electoral commission to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms and ensure that voters were adequately informed about the locations of legitimate polling units.

He further predicted that the 2027 presidential election would be more challenging than previous elections, while expressing concern over what he described as INEC’s apparent lack of preparedness.

“INEC hasn’t shown readiness for this coming election. They don’t know what is coming, but I want to urge the chairman to put his house in order and deliver a credible election because there will be issues if he doesn’t. He will be affected personally. The election will be very tough, unlike the ones we have had in the past,” he said.

The warning comes amid an ongoing controversy over the discovery of purportedly fictitious government institutions operating around the federal government structure.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) recently uncovered the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which it said had been allocated office space within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation despite lacking legal foundation or presidential approval.

Following a briefing by the ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate arrest of the alleged promoter of the entity, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, and the suspension of three permanent secretaries pending investigation.

The suspended officials were identified as M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.

Aliyu said the ICPC investigation had also uncovered suspected collaborators within the OSGF who allegedly facilitated the activities of the purported office.

The discovery followed an earlier investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which the commission said was not part of the Nigerian government structure.

The body’s alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is facing prosecution over allegations including forgery and impersonation.

An interim ICPC report submitted to Tinubu on August 6 had also identified two other purported entities—the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.

The latest findings have intensified scrutiny of the mechanisms for establishing and supervising government institutions, with the commission indicating that its investigation into alleged fictitious agencies and their collaborators remains ongoing.