Politics
APP Is A Dead Party Kept Alive To Cause Chaos In 2027 — CAD Blasts INEC
The Civic Action for Democracy (CAD) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately sustaining the deregistered Action Peoples Party (APP) to orchestrate political instability ahead of the 2027 general elections. The group said the commission’s conduct amounts to a calculated attempt to contaminate the electoral process and provoke a constitutional crisis.
Addressing journalists in Owerri, the Executive Director of CAD, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, said INEC’s continued recognition of APP was not an error but a pre-arranged operation by what he described as an “electoral cartel” working within and around the commission. According to him, APP ceased to exist in 2020 and was affirmed dead by the Supreme Court in 2022, making any further recognition of the party legally impossible.
Ngoforo accused INEC of misleading the public by claiming there was a subsisting court order stopping APP’s deregistration. He maintained that no such injunction was ever issued, and no judge in Nigeria delivered any ruling in favour of APP after its deregistration. He insisted that INEC’s explanation was a fabrication designed to keep the defunct party alive for ulterior motives.
He argued that even if such an injunction existed, interim orders in Nigerian jurisprudence do not survive beyond fourteen days unless renewed. According to him, the claim that a non-existent injunction has remained valid for six years is further proof that INEC’s explanation cannot withstand legal scrutiny.
The CAD director noted that concerns around APP’s status did not begin today. He recalled that in 2020, after the deregistration exercise, Lagos-based lawyer Eunice Atuejide had demanded evidence of the supposed court order. INEC, he said, failed to produce any documentation then and has continued to avoid addressing the matter transparently.
Ngoforo stated that the controversy resurfaced in 2024 when APP suddenly participated in a local election in Rivers State, despite its deregistration being upheld by the apex court. He said this development prompted another legal challenge from senior lawyer Barrister Ukpai Ukairo, who filed a suit demanding that INEC expunge APP from its register permanently.
According to him, the lawsuit has now exposed deeper internal compromise within INEC, revealing actors who are allegedly manipulating the commission’s systems to keep APP active for political purposes. He claimed that the illegal recognition of APP is being driven by a powerful political network, including a serving federal lawmaker and an influential INEC contractor.
Ngoforo cited the controversial councillorship seat reportedly awarded to APP in Jigawa in 2024 as further evidence that INEC was sustaining the party artificially. He said that seat “did not come from a legitimate electoral contest” but was created to give APP the appearance of political activity ahead of the 2027 elections.
He warned that the objective of this manoeuvre is to use APP’s illegality as grounds to challenge the credibility of the 2027 polls. According to him, the plan is to field APP candidates nationwide, wait for them to lose, and then secure a post-election ruling that INEC erred by allowing a deregistered party onto the ballot.
Ngoforo argued that such a ruling could be weaponised to discredit the entire election, triggering demands for cancellation or judicial intervention. He described the scheme as “a premeditated setup designed to manufacture chaos and throw Nigeria into avoidable turmoil.”
He warned that foreign-backed political actors may also leverage the APP controversy to push narratives of electoral illegitimacy, thereby igniting national tensions. According to him, countries like Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire had experienced major political breakdowns caused by similar manipulation of party lists and electoral procedures.
Ngoforo said the implications go beyond political competition and touch directly on national security. He called for urgent intervention by the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the network sustaining APP.
He stressed that while the INEC Chairman did not originate the anomaly, the responsibility for restoring credibility now rests squarely on his shoulders. According to him, the commission must immediately declare APP deregistered, remove it from all records, and expose those responsible for keeping the party alive.
Ngoforo concluded that failure to act swiftly would confirm that a conspiracy to derail the 2027 elections is already underway. He said CAD and other pro-democracy groups will intensify pressure until INEC cleans up its system and restores public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process
Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.
The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.
He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.
Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.
Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.
“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.
“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”
Politics
Electoral act: Senate’s action confirms Nigeria ‘fantastically corrupt’, ‘disgraced’ – Peter Obi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the Senate’s refusal to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory, saying the move further exposes Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt and disgraced country.
Obi expressed his views in a statement shared on X on Friday, where he accused lawmakers of deliberately weakening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that his reaction came after a brief pause to mourn victims of a deadly tragedy in Kwara State, where over 150 people reportedly lost their lives.
“Let us first pray for the souls of the innocent Nigerians lost in Kwara. That painful incident is why I delayed responding to the shameful development surrounding our electoral system,” he wrote.
Describing the Senate’s decision as intentional and dangerous, Obi said rejecting mandatory electronic transmission was not a simple oversight but a calculated attempt to block transparency.
“The Senate’s open rejection of electronic transmission of results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027,” he said.
According to him, the action strikes at the heart of democracy and raises serious questions about the true purpose of governance in Nigeria.
“This failure to pass a clear safeguard is a direct attack on our democracy. By refusing these transparency measures, the foundation of credible elections is being destroyed. One must ask whether government exists to ensure justice and order or to deliberately create chaos for the benefit of a few.”
The former Anambra State governor linked the post-election controversies of the 2023 general elections to the failure to fully deploy electronic transmission of results, insisting that Nigerians were misled with claims of technical failures.
“
The confusion, disputes and manipulation that followed the 2023 elections were largely due to the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission,” he said.
He added that the so-called system glitch never truly existed.
Obi compared Nigeria’s electoral process with those of other African countries that have embraced technology to improve credibility, lamenting that Nigeria continues to fall behind.
“Many African nations now use electronic transmission to strengthen their democracy. Yet Nigeria, which calls itself the giant of Africa, is moving backwards and dragging the continent along.”
He criticised Nigeria’s leadership class, saying the country’s problems persist not because of a lack of ideas but because of deliberate resistance to meaningful reform.
“We keep organising conferences and writing policy papers about Nigeria’s challenges. But the truth is that the leaders and elite are the real problem. Our refusal to change is pushing the nation backwards into a primitive system of governance.”
Warning of the dangers ahead, Obi said rejecting electronic transmission creates room for confusion and disorder that only serves the interests of a small group.
He also recalled past remarks by foreign leaders who described Nigeria as corrupt, arguing that actions like this continue to justify those statements.
“When a former UK Prime Minister described Nigeria as ‘fantastically corrupt,’ we were offended. When former US President Donald Trump called us a ‘disgraced nation,’ we were angry. But our continued resistance to transparency keeps proving them right.”
Obi warned that Nigerians should not accept a repeat of the electoral irregularities witnessed in 2023.
“Let there be no mistake. The criminality seen in 2023 must not be tolerated in 2027.”
He urged citizens to be ready to defend democracy through lawful and decisive means, while also calling on the international community to closely monitor developments in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“The international community must pay attention to the groundwork being laid for future electoral manipulation, which threatens our democracy and development,” Obi stated.
He concluded by expressing hope that change is still possible if Nigerians take collective responsibility.
“A new Nigeria is possible but only if we all rise and fight for it.”
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