Despite bold declarations by political actors promising a fiercely contested election in 2027, SaharaReporters learnt that a covert plan to manipulate the process is already in motion.
Investigations indicate that a prominent politician from Oghara, Delta State, is actively working to install a compromised figure as the next chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), setting the stage for widespread electoral fraud.
Sources close to the matter have implicated former Delta State Governor James Ibori, a convicted ex-governor returned to Nigeria after serving a sentence in the United Kingdom for looting public funds. Ibori is reportedly maneuvering to position his associate and kinsman, Moses Ogbe, as the next INEC Chairman to ensure direct control over the rigging of the 2027 elections.
Web Of Political Influence
Ibori’s influence in the current political landscape remains significant. His past political manipulations include the appointment of his ally, Chinedu Ebie, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Governing Board, and his daughter, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, as Chairperson of the House Committee on NDDC.
SaharaReporters learnt that now, Ibori is pushing for Moses Ogbe, a former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) under Prof. Maurice Iwu’s tenure, to replace the current INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Moses Ogbe’s Troubling Track Record
SaharaReporters’ investigation into Ogbe’s past reveals a deeply concerning history of electoral manipulation. Ogbe, once a staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was nominated by Ibori for a REC position during a period marked by widespread election rigging.
He was allegedly part of a network of election manipulators working closely with Prof. Iwu, notorious for overseeing Nigeria’s deeply flawed 2007 general election—an election so discredited that then-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua admitted its failures and initiated electoral reforms.
Appointments And Allegiances
Ogbe’s tenure as REC in Lagos State during the 2003 elections reportedly saw significant electoral malpractices under the administration of then-Governor Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu has a habit of surrounding himself with individuals he has previously worked with or known as he advances politically.
For example, in 1999, the current Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, served as Tinubu’s Chief Security Officer while holding the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. At the time, Tinubu was the governor of Lagos State.
After assuming office as President in May 2023, Tinubu appointed Egbetokun as the Inspector General of Police in June 2023, replacing Usman Baba.
Egbetokun was initially set to retire in September 2024 upon reaching the age of 60. However, the National Assembly amended the Police Act, ensuring his tenure would last a full four years, regardless of the standard civil service retirement age.
This amendment, passed in 2024, stipulates that an Inspector General of Police serves a four-year term from the date of appointment, which, in Egbetokun’s case, was October 31, 2023.
As a result, Egbetokun’s tenure was extended until October 31, 2027, allowing him to complete the debated four-year term. This extension ensures that Tinubu’s ally, Egbetokun, will be in charge of security operations during the 2027 general elections.
In August 2024, during the launch of a book in his honour titled ‘Readings in Policing, Peace, and Security’ in Abuja, Egbetokun reflected on his longstanding relationship with Tinubu.
“I must, however, acknowledge the significant impact of a particular individual on my life and career,” he said.
“I met President Bola Tinubu in 1998, and that meeting produced a positive transformation in my life within 24 hours. That story is also a testimony that I would like to leave for another day.”
Similarly, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olu Olukoyede, was appointed by Tinubu in October 2023.
Before securing the EFCC role, Olukoyede worked as a lawyer at the law firm of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. His appointment is for a four-year term, with the possibility of renewal.
Tinubu has previously stated that he was instrumental in nominating Osinbajo, a Christian, as then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate when opposition arose over concerns regarding a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Sources told SaharaReporters that Ogbe’s reputation as an election manipulator resulted in President Goodluck Jonathan refusing to reappoint him when a new set of RECs were appointed under Prof. Attahiru Jega.
However, under the PDP administration in Delta State, he was subsequently appointed by then-Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, a cousin to Ibori, as Chairman of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC), where he allegedly orchestrated further election fraud at the local level.
2014 Delta State Local Government Election Scandal
According to sources, one of the most egregious examples of Ogbe’s alleged electoral malpractice occurred during the October 25, 2014, Delta State Local Government Council elections.
It was noted that in direct violation of election guidelines, Ogbe bypassed returning officers in all 25 local government areas and instead declared pre-written election results from the DSIEC headquarters in Asaba.
This action contravened Paragraph 28(7) of the Guidelines for Local Government Council General Elections of Delta State 2014, which explicitly requires chairmanship election results to be declared at local government collation centres, entered in Form DSEC 6C and announced by the returning officer.
Despite widespread protests from opposition parties decrying the lack of actual voting at polling units, Ogbe and DSIEC officials allegedly manipulated the process, ensuring that all chairmanship positions went to PDP candidates.
Sources confirm that he employed the same tactics used during the infamous 2007 elections under Iwu’s INEC.
Concerns Over Another Widespread Electoral Fraud
Electoral experts and political observers have raised alarms over the possibility of Ogbe’s appointment as INEC Chairman, fearing a return to an era of unchecked election rigging.
During interviews, his former PDP associates in Delta State, whom he left in the party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), have expressed deep concerns about Ogbe’s integrity, stating that his past actions make him wholly unfit for the role.
A senior political source stated, “Moses Ogbe is a master election rigger. If he becomes INEC Chairman, the 2027 election will be worse than 2023 and 2007 combined. His track record is one of impunity, manipulation, and total disregard for democratic principles.”
Sources also revealed that Ogbe is not the “only compromised individual being positioned for electoral influence”.
Several other key figures involved are suspected of having deep ties to past election rigging operations.
Sources said many of the officials, once staunch PDP loyalists, have transitioned into the APC government, continuing their roles in manipulating electoral outcomes.
But when contacted, Ogbe denied knowledge of such a plot.
“I am hearing this for the first time. I don’t know anything like that. I am done with my job at INEC since 2017. I am okay. I am presently in my village doing what will give me money. I don’t know anything about this move,” he said in a message.
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Source: SaharaReporters
