Don’t Blame INEC Chairman For Rigging’ — Deji Adeleke Sparks Fresh Election Debate

The President of Adeleke University, Ede, and billionaire businessman, Dr. Deji Adeleke, has said it is unfair to hold the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) solely responsible for election rigging in Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Adeleke made the remarks on Sunday during the university’s 12th undergraduate and eighth postgraduate convocation ceremonies held in Ede, Osun State, where he called on all stakeholders to work together to safeguard the integrity of the country’s electoral process.

The elder brother of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke alleged that some National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members deployed as election officials, alongside security personnel assigned to polling units, often compromise the electoral process by accepting bribes to alter results.

According to him, the problem of election malpractice extends beyond the leadership of INEC and requires collective responsibility.

“People lose their lives and violence erupts during elections. Young Nigerians, including graduates like those we are celebrating today, have been killed because some people manipulate election results,” he said.

“You cannot blame the INEC chairman when youth corps members collect ₦50,000 to alter figures at polling units.

“Even if the INEC chairman were a spirit, would he be present at every polling unit across Nigeria?

“We will soon conduct elections in Osun State, which has 3,763 polling units. Is it humanly possible for the INEC chairman to be in all those polling units at the same time?

“INEC entrusts the process to young people, yet some accept money to change results. We also have police officers, who should be protecting the process, aiding election rigging despite wanting a better future for their own children. People are being killed simply because of elections.”

Adeleke warned that a compromised electoral system damages Nigeria’s global reputation and undermines the country’s democratic progress.

He lamented that despite the abundance of talented Nigerians, electoral malpractice continues to portray the country negatively before the international community.

“It is painful to witness these things happen because many people fail to understand the consequences of their actions on election day, just as some judges undermine justice through their decisions.

“If we fail to change, Nigeria will continue to suffer the consequences. But it is not too late. We can still correct our mistakes and rebuild confidence in our democracy,” he said.