By Deborah Nnamdi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for a thorough investigation into allegations that senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) received land and cash gifts from a serving minister in the administration of Bola Tinubu, warning that the claims could undermine public confidence in the country’s electoral system.
The party said the reports, which emerged last week and continue to generate public debate, raise serious concerns about the independence and credibility of the electoral body at a critical political period.
In a statement issued by its factional National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP expressed deep concern over the allegations and urged INEC to address them with full transparency.
According to the statement, the media had been “awash” with claims that the unnamed minister allegedly offered land and cash gifts to top officials of the commission.
“This news is very disturbing and worrisome and seems to connect the dots in the land-for-favour scenario currently being widely speculated as a strategy for institutional capture,” the party said.
The PDP further questioned why such alleged benefits would be directed at electoral officials, while workers in other key sectors—including healthcare, education, and security—have not received similar gestures despite the demands of their duties.
The party also called on the INEC leadership to publicly clarify the situation, including allegations that the commission’s chairman may have been among the beneficiaries.
“We hereby demand that the national chairman of INEC come clean on these allegations against his top officials, and even himself, as he has also been alleged to be a beneficiary,” the statement added.
The PDP warned that failure to promptly and transparently address the issue could erode public trust in the commission, stressing the need for INEC to uphold the highest standards of impartiality.
“The commission must strive to be, like Caesar’s wife, above reproach, ensuring that transparency and fairness are evident in both its words and actions,” the party stated.
