The All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure re-election in 2027 regardless of who becomes the next chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, stated this in an interview with The Sun.
According to Basiru, the ruling party is not concerned about the identity of the new electoral umpire.
The tenure of the current INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, is expected to expire this year, with reports indicating that consultations are underway to find his replacement.
Responding to suggestions that the APC might seek to influence the process, Basiru dismissed such claims, stressing that the ruling party has no role in selecting an electoral referee.
“How can you be asking a player to recommend a referee? We are players and don’t care about which referee is brought to officiate the match,” he said.
He further argued that it is the responsibility of civil society groups and the National Assembly to recommend a new chairman for the electoral body.
Basiru maintained that the party’s strength lies in its ability to mobilise voters for President Tinubu’s re-election.
“In fact, by the time we mobilise, even if the new INEC chairman is the father of another party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju will still win the election,” he said.
