The Presidency has dismissed allegations that the Federal Government is planning to postpone the January 16, 2027 presidential election, describing the claim as fake news.
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) had alleged that there was a plot to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into changing the election date.
Reacting to the allegation, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government was unaware of any such plan.
“The federal government is not planning to shift the date of the election or postpone any election. This is not in the works; the federal government is unaware of this, and this is just fake news as far as we are concerned,” he said.
However, the ADC-PCC maintained its position, alleging that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, could be summoned to the Presidential Villa and instructed to alter the election timetable, with about 80 days remaining before the poll.
In a statement issued by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the council urged President Bola Tinubu to abandon any such move and called on the INEC chairman to reject any instruction to change the date and publicly disclose any such approach.
The council insisted that the election date belonged to Nigerians and should not be changed behind closed doors.
It also argued that Nigerians should be allowed to assess the Tinubu administration at the ballot box, citing rising prices, shrinking incomes and economic hardship.
While acknowledging the public health concerns surrounding Ebola, the ADC-PCC said the outbreak should not be used as a justification for postponing the election. It cited the position attributed to the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control that there was no current reason to delay the poll.
The council urged INEC, domestic observers and international election monitors to ensure that any proposal to change the timetable was made publicly and supported by published health evidence.
As of the time of the report, INEC had yet to respond to the allegation.
Reps to Invite INEC Over Election Preparedness
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has resolved to invite INEC to brief its relevant committee on preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Mansur Manu Soro and Abdussamad Dasuki, who raised concerns about operational challenges confronting the commission.
Under the resolution, INEC is expected to appear before the committee within seven legislative days and submit a comprehensive report on its readiness for the elections.
The report is expected to cover voter registration, the production and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, election logistics, technology deployment, recruitment and training of personnel, electoral security, risk assessment and funding.
Lawmakers also requested details of budgetary allocations, funds released, outstanding payments and the potential impact of funding gaps on preparations.
The House expressed concern over reported challenges at Continuous Voter Registration centres, including inadequate equipment and personnel, network failures, long waiting times and rising demand from citizens seeking to register or update their details.
According to the lawmakers, these difficulties could limit the participation of eligible voters, particularly first-time voters, rural residents, students, workers and persons with disabilities.
They warned that failure to address the challenges could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and affect the peaceful conduct of the elections.
The lawmakers further noted that lessons from the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election could help improve logistics, technology deployment, election administration and stakeholder engagement ahead of the 2027 polls.