A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Festus Okoye, has warned that Nigeria’s 2027 general election could face serious credibility and logistical challenges from sophisticated vote-buying, manipulated party primaries, security gaps, displaced communities and declining public confidence in the judiciary.
Okoye raised the concerns recently during a virtual masterclass organised by the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters, Lagos chapter, where he urged journalists to strengthen their investigative and legal capacities ahead of the election.
He said the threats facing the next general election were no longer limited to the traditional forms of electoral malpractice, warning that some of the problems could emerge from the way political parties, security agencies and even the courts operate during the electoral process.
On vote-buying, Okoye said electoral inducement had evolved from the discreet distribution of money before voting to more visible transactions taking place around polling units.
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He described the emerging practice as “regenerated vote-buying,” saying cash could now be distributed openly to voters from several sources and sometimes according to the number of votes recorded.
According to him, electoral fraud had moved from “covert, off-site home distributions disguised as ‘empowerment’ to “brazen, tally-based transactions executed directly at polling units where voters collect cash from multiple sources.”
Okoye warned that the development presented a particular challenge for journalists because conventional reporting of voting-day activities might fail to capture the networks financing and coordinating such operations.
He also identified the increasing movement of politicians between political parties as another potential threat to the integrity of the 2027 process.
With party manifestos increasingly difficult to distinguish from one another, he said politicians were becoming more willing to change platforms in search of advantageous tickets.
Okoye linked the trend to what he described as compromised and “shambolic” party primaries, particularly those influenced by incumbent governors.
He said dissatisfied aspirants emerging from such contests were increasingly likely to “shop” for alternative parties through which they could pursue their political ambitions.
The former INEC commissioner also raised concerns about the capacity of Nigeria’s security infrastructure to cope with a nationwide election.
He cautioned against using the experience of isolated off-cycle elections as a measure of the country’s readiness for the 2027 general elections.