Obi Media Office Raises Alarm Over 600 Academics’ Endorsement of Tinubu

The Peter Obi Media Office (POMR) has expressed concern over the reports that approximately 600 university academics have publicly endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The media office raised alarms that this development could potentially undermine public confidence in the impartiality of academics who might later be appointed as electoral officials such as Returning Officers (ROs), Collation Officers (COs) or other election personnel.

A statement from the POMR's spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr., emphasized the responsibility INEC holds in identifying academics involved in such endorsements to prevent them from serving as election officials in the future. The POMR questioned the fairness of allowing academics who openly endorse a presidential candidate to hold positions that require their impartiality.

They pointed out that university academics have historically been recruited for sensitive electoral duties, including result collation and declaration, and called into question whether such academics could remain impartial if appointed to such roles. The media office argued that any perception of an early manipulation scheme could damage public confidence in the electoral process.

They urged INEC to disclose the names of the academics involved in the reported endorsement and to formally prohibit them from serving in electoral capacities in the 2027 election. The POMR also called for greater transparency in the recruitment of election officials, suggesting that the names of prospective returning and collation officers should be publicly available ahead of the elections to enable scrutiny of their political neutrality.

The organization stressed that academics, like other citizens, have the right to support political candidates but should not be placed in positions where their neutrality could be questioned. The controversy highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the recruitment of academics as election officials and the safeguards required to ensure impartiality in the electoral process.