The Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised an alarm over alleged plans to create fake polling units and booths across Nigeria during the 2027 general Elections, describing the move as a strategy to rig the outcome in targeted locations.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele warned that the fraudulent polling units would be spread nationwide, putting unsuspecting electorates at risk of disenfranchisement. He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to treat the intelligence with utmost seriousness, stressing that the development would have a devastating negative impact on the credibility of the election if not properly managed.
According to the cleric, the blueprint for electoral manipulation has already been finalized. He detailed that part of the implementation strategy involves mounting fake polling booths and distributing counterfeit electoral materials designed to weaken the votes of specific individuals and rig others out of contention. “For the upcoming election in Nigeria, I am seeing a lot of fake things regarding the election which the INEC must take seriously,” the statement read in part. “I am seeing fake polling units and booths spread across the country to weaken the votes of some individuals and rig some people out.”
Primate Ayodele insisted that the commission must work proactively to secure the process and ensure voters are adequately informed, warning that silence would allow the plot to succeed. He further characterized the forthcoming presidential election as uniquely difficult, asserting that INEC has not demonstrated the requisite readiness for the exercise. He directly appealed to the INEC Chairman to restructure the commission’s operations to guarantee a credible poll, cautioning that failure would attract personal consequences for the leadership. “INEC hasn’t shown readiness for this coming election. They don’t know what is coming, but I want to urge the chairman to put his house in order and deliver a credible election because there will be issues if he doesn’t. He will be affected personally. The election will be very tough, unlike the ones we have had in the past,” he added.
The intervention places additional pressure on the electoral umpire to address systemic vulnerabilities well ahead of the 2027 cycle. As political tensions rise, the commission’s ability to verify polling unit authenticity and secure election materials will likely remain a focal point for observers and stakeholders demanding transparency.
