INEC Mum Over Rejection Of Tinubu Spokesperson’s Wife As Head Of Electoral Operations

Controversy has continued to trail the redeployment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi, wife of Segun Showunmi, a member of the Tinubu/Shettima 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, to the position of Director of Electoral Operations at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general election.

According to reports, Isah Magaji Gummi, who previously headed the Electoral Operations Department, was redeployed to the Voter Registry Department, while Adeyemi-Showunmi was moved from Lagos, where she served in the administration department to take charge of Electoral Operations.

The department plays a key role in election planning and implementation, including the coordination of polling arrangements, deployment of election materials and management of personnel involved in electoral operations.

Although the director does not independently determine election results, the responsibilities attached to the office have drawn attention to the redeployment and calls for INEC to explain the considerations behind the decision.

Adeyemi-Showunmi is married to Segun Showunmi, a political commentator who served as a spokesperson for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 presidential campaign.

The redeployment has sparked debate on social media over transparency, political neutrality and public confidence in the electoral body.

Reacting to the development on X (formerly Twitter), a user identified as @SholaOlapade questioned whether spouses or close relatives of politicians should be allowed to occupy positions in electoral and judicial institutions.

“Is it right for spouses or direct family members of politicians and politically exposed persons to be staff of INEC or Judiciary? Can they ever be neutral?” the user asked.

@Ogundamisi wrote: “The reported redeployment raises questions about transparency and the need to maintain public confidence in INEC’s impartiality ahead of the 2027 general election.”

However, @LydiaValch defended Adeyemi-Showunmi, arguing that her marriage should not be used to question her professional career.

“Allow this woman’s career to be. That she is married doesn’t mean she should be hiding,” the user wrote.

A user identified as @Elmahmud01 took a different view, writing: “One good thing about Tinubu is making his critics eat their vomit 🤢 and sing his praise.”

Meanwhile, @Hootshooter alleged that the redeployment was part of a plan to manipulate the 2027 elections, although the user provided no evidence in the comment to substantiate the claim.

“Now you can see that the plot to rig the elections with agents like this in place to manipulate figures and announce results is the Tinubu ‘ALL IS FAIR IN POLITICS’. But Nigerians must stop it if not Nigeria is gone finally,” the user wrote.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar was among those who first raised alarm over the issue, demanding immediate and full transparency from INEC.

In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reported changes in the Electoral Operations Department raise serious questions that INEC must answer without delay.

“Reports indicate that Director Isa Magaji Gum was moved from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi was appointed to head Electoral Operations. Dr Lawrence Bayode has also been identified as the head of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).”

“These departments are at the heart of election administration. INEC must explain these decisions, publish the criteria applied and show that every appointment and redeployment followed due process, was based on merit and was free from political interference. Nigerians will not accept vague assurances on matters this serious.”

Atiku said no official should be presumed compromised because of their ethnicity, background or associations. But when reported political connections or a concentration of appointments raises public concern, INEC must provide verifiable assurances that its impartiality is protected.

“A government that has driven millions of Nigerians into hardship must not be allowed to turn the electoral umpire into an instrument of political survival. When sensitive election departments are reshaped and major contracts are surrounded by unanswered questions, the suspicion that a failing administration is seeking every possible advantage to cling to power will only grow. INEC must dispel that suspicion through full, immediate and verifiable disclosure.”

The commission is yet to react to the controversy.
(daily trust)