2027: Adebayo threatens protest over alleged plot to postpone election

The Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign Council has threatened legal action and mass protests against any attempt to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, into postponing the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

The council said the election timetable was non-negotiable, warning that any attempt to alter it, including under the guise of public health concerns, would undermine the democratic process and Nigerians’ right to choose their leaders.

Speaking to Vanguard in Abuja on Wednesday, the campaign council’s Chief Media and Communications Adviser, Comrade Mark Adebayo, alleged a plot to summon INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to the Presidential Villa to alter the election timetable.

“We strongly condemn any covert or overt attempts to pressure INEC into altering the sacrosanct January 16, 2027, election timetable,” Adebayo said.

He accused the Tinubu administration of preparing to manipulate the electoral process, citing what he described as its unpopularity.

“We are aware that because of the unprecedented unpopularity of the Tinubu administration and the fact that Nigerians have totally rejected them, they have many rigging cards under their table to play,” he said.

Adebayo also warned against using the reported Ebola outbreak as a pretext to delay the election, saying the campaign council would resist any such move through legal means and mass action.

“Using public health concerns or engineered crises as political tools to evade an imminent electoral verdict will be fiercely resisted by all legal means, including mass actions,” he said.

He urged INEC to remain neutral and reject any alleged pressure from the Presidency, insisting that the election timetable must be maintained.

Adebayo said the campaign’s presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, and his running mate, Dr Usman Bugaje, remained prepared for the polls, urging Nigerians to remain vigilant.

“Nigerians are no fools, and any attempt to treat us that way stands to be stoutly resisted by the mass of Nigerians,” he added.