The manipulation of IReV, according to the insider, is already in motion. It was reportedly deployed in recent by-elections and is set to be tested again in the upcoming governorship elections in Anambra, Osun, and Ekiti states.
SaharaReporters can exclusively reveal to Nigerians and the international community the alleged rigging strategy being perfected within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to credible insider information, the scheme is being coordinated by INEC’s ICT and Operations departments under the outgoing Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and is designed to be handed over to his successor to execute in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
An insider at INEC headquarters disclosed that the Commission has been refining its rigging tactics since the public outcry that trailed the irregularities of the 2023 general elections. The new template, the source explained, is engineered to undermine the IReV portal by uploading pre-written results from targeted polling units.
Test-Runs Since 2023
According to the insider, this strategy has already been test-run. The off-season governorship election in Kogi State reportedly saw pre-prepared results appear on the IReV as early as 8 a.m. on election day.
SaharaReporters learnt that similar tactics were deployed in Ondo and Edo governorship polls—producing outcomes the source described as heavily manipulated—as well as in several recent by-elections that tilted in APC’s favour.
Voter Registration Compromised
The source further disclosed that the first phase of the 2027 rigging plot began with the ongoing voter registration exercise. INEC’s Operations Department is accused of secretly providing the APC with sensitive information about newly created polling units, particularly those with low voter registration, ahead of the 2023 elections.
By directing its supporters to re-register in these underpopulated units, the APC is said to be ensuring that only its loyalists dominate those polling stations. This would pave the way for unchallenged manipulation on election day.
“The strategy involves populating under-populated polling units with new registrants by re-registering previous voters, ensuring that only APC loyalists are present in those polling units. This would enable unchallenged manipulation on election day,” one of the sources said.
“That is why INEC notably did not release the usual public guidelines specifying which categories of citizens are eligible to register in the ongoing exercise, such as those who turned 18 after the last registration exercise in 2022 or have not registered before.”
“Instead, individuals who have lost their PVCs or need to transfer voting locations are being encouraged to register again, against INEC’s own policy,” the source added.
The alleged plan, the insider noted, is being executed in collusion with electoral officers and local government chairpersons across the country.
IReV Manipulation Strategy
The manipulation of IReV, according to the insider, is already in motion. It was reportedly deployed in recent by-elections and is set to be tested again in the upcoming governorship elections in Anambra, Osun, and Ekiti states.
According to the source, under the supervision of Abdulrazak Tukur Yusuf, INEC’s Director of Operations since 2023, the Commission is producing two “original” versions of polling unit result sheets (Form EC8A), each bearing the same serial numbers and codes. One copy is given to presiding officers for use at polling units, while the second is allegedly handed to the APC in advance for pre-written results.
While presiding officers may upload genuine results to IReV, the source explained, those results are later deleted or hidden from public view. In their place, the pre-written versions are uploaded from INEC’s situation room with the assistance of ICT staff.
Beyond the polling unit stage, the dual-original strategy is said to continue through all levels of collation—from ward (Form EC8B) to local government (Form EC8C). INEC has allegedly provided APC operatives trained in ICT with access to configured BVAS machines to facilitate the uploading of fabricated results across different states.
INEC Legal Manoeuvres to Favour APC
According to insider accounts, INEC’s legal department is expected to certify only the duplicate “originals” supplied in advance to APC agents for use at election tribunals.
As INEC remains the official custodian of election results, these pre-arranged documents would be accepted as authentic during legal proceedings, while the actual results used at polling units would be rejected as uncertified.
The decision to phase out Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) is also seen as part of the wider 2027 manipulation strategy. Without PVCs, it becomes nearly impossible to reconcile the number of cards collected with the total number of registered voters. This gap would allow inflated figures from strategically populated polling units—currently being manipulated through the voter registration exercise—to go unchallenged against the accreditation data recorded by BVAS on election day.
“This plan represents a complete reversal of the electoral reforms achieved in recent years, designed solely to guarantee a second term for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has no viable path to re-election through a free and fair contest,” the source said.
Compromised Recruitment of Ad-hoc and Collation Officers
Investigations further reveal how INEC intends to recruit politically compromised staff as ad-hoc workers and collation officers for the 2027 elections.
Apart from NYSC corps members at polling units, most officers from the ward level upwards will reportedly be drawn from federal government agencies and universities with proven loyalty to the ruling party.
This aligns with a recently floated policy idea to allow civil servants to engage in politics openly, ensuring their availability for election manipulation.
Sources disclosed that INEC has compiled a list of compromised collation and returning officers, including university professors, who facilitated rigging in past elections. This list is allegedly being shared with APC leaders ahead of 2027. Vice-Chancellors, often selected to oversee governorship collation, are now expected to coordinate closely with INEC leadership.
The appointment of Professor Edoba Omoregie as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin was cited as an example. Despite ranking 21st out of 25 candidates in the selection process, he was elevated due to his political loyalty. Omoregie had previously served as legal counsel for Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a senior APC figure.
The Rise of Abdulrazak Tukur Yusuf
Investigation revealed that central to the alleged rigging plot is Abdulrazak Tukur Yusuf, formerly INEC’s Director of Electoral Operations. He is accused of masterminding the production of duplicate “original” result sheets and leaking serial numbers of sensitive election materials to APC politicians during the 2023 elections.
As a reward, Yusuf was elevated to National Commissioner, formally placed in charge of Human Resources but effectively controlling INEC’s operations.
His appointment was made under controversial circumstances.
Another commissioner from Katsina, Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah, was reportedly pressured by security operatives and INEC’s Chairman to resign. When he refused, he sought intervention from former President Muhammadu Buhari, but no help came. He was eventually removed without due constitutional process.
A legal expert told SaharaReporters that under Nigeria’s Constitution, an INEC Commissioner can only be removed through a presidential address endorsed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate. “That requirement was brazenly bypassed,” the lawyer said.
Investigation revealed that Yusuf’s record of misconduct dates back to his time as INEC Administrative Secretary in Kano during the 2015 elections, when the APC recorded a controversial landslide. That same year, Kano’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Abdullahi Minkaila, and his family died in a mysterious house fire that remains unsolved.
Multiple sources confirmed that Professor Mahmood Yakubu is grooming Yusuf as his preferred successor, projecting him to President Tinubu as the safest choice to sustain the 2023 rigging system into 2027.
Tinubu’s Search for Loyal INEC Successors
A source at the Presidential Villa revealed that President Tinubu has been presented with several names of compromised INEC officials. These include Sam Olugbadebo Olumekun, a former Lagos REC for whom Tinubu allegedly purchased property in Lekki; Moses Ogbe, another controversial former REC linked to ex-convict James Ibori; and Kenneth Ukeagu, a billionaire INEC procurement director recently elevated to National Commissioner.
While all have proven useful to APC in past elections, concerns about ethnic balance and public exposure of their corruption records have raised doubts about their suitability. As a result, Tinubu is said to be leaning towards a “dark horse” candidate, Abdulrazak Tukur Yusuf.
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