34 CSOs Back INEC, Urge Caution Over Alleged Staff Redeployment
A coalition of 34 civil society organisations has expressed confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging Nigerians to exercise caution over allegations of questionable staff redeployment…
INEC's internal staffing decisions, particularly transfers and redeployments of resident electoral commissioners and senior staff ahead of major polls, have long attracted scrutiny in Nigeria, where fears of ethnic or political bias within the commission have previously fuelled disputes over election credibility. With the 2027 general elections on the horizon, any perception of irregular personnel movements within INEC risks reviving such suspicions, making civil society's stance on the matter significant for public confidence in the electoral body.
The coalition of 34 CSOs, led by groups including the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations Against Corruption (COCSOAC), has come out in support of INEC amid unverified claims that recent staff redeployments were driven by ethnic or political considerations. Both Leadership and Tribune Online report that the CSOs are urging Nigerians to treat the allegations with caution pending verification, while also calling on INEC to maintain transparency and due process in its personnel decisions. Neither report specifies who raised the original allegations, which staff were affected, or what redeployments were carried out, leaving key details of the underlying dispute still unclear.