Former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has leveled serious allegations against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), claiming the electoral body is deliberately frustrating opposition parties' efforts to form a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television's 'Politics Today' program on Thursday, Amaechi, who also served as Rivers State Governor, accused INEC of intentionally delaying the registration of new political parties to protect APC's interests.
"Every member of the opposition who belongs to the coalition is a member of the ADC. Are we stopping at that? The answer is no. I head a committee with the mandate of the coalition to pursue the registration of the All Democratic Alliance, ADA," Amaechi stated.
He further explained: "Now, if INEC had registered ADA, we would probably not have bothered about going to the ADC. The political space is closed for the benefit of the APC. I come to say that the INEC chairman is not ashamed."
Deliberate Delays in Party Registration
According to Amaechi, the registration of the All Democratic Alliance is currently stalled because they have yet to provide office addresses and party officers' information for the next meeting. However, he suggested this was just one example of INEC's tactics.
"I don't want to call the other parties that had gone ahead with the registration, and INEC just ignored it completely. Some of them, their rents have expired," he revealed.
The former minister didn't mince words in his criticism: "The chairman of INEC is deliberately doing that so that there will be nobody fighting the APC. And they're not even ashamed that after (Maurice) Iwu, they organised the worst election; I would be ashamed."
Coalition's Plan for 2027
Despite these challenges, Amaechi affirmed that the coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) would mobilize Nigerians to vote and implement measures to prevent election rigging in the upcoming general elections.
In the same interview, Amaechi reportedly compared the current administration with the previous one, suggesting that while former President Buhari "didn't achieve all," his government performed better than the current Tinubu administration.
The allegations come at a time when opposition parties are strategizing to present a united front against the ruling APC in the next general elections, highlighting growing tensions in Nigeria's political landscape as the 2027 polls approach.
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