PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: A former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has accused President Bola Tinubu of laying the groundwork for electoral fraud ahead of the 2027 general elections, following the appointment of Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement made available to the media on Wednesday, Eze described the appointment of Yilwatda, a former INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner and ICT expert, as a “desperate move” aimed at manipulating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the benefit of the ruling party in 2027.
He also condemned what he called the sudden weaponization of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against perceived political opponents, warning that no amount of intimidation or strategic placements within the APC would guarantee Tinubu’s return to power.
“I wish to state that none of these acts—unleashing the EFCC on opposition politicians or appointing Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda to manipulate INEC—will save Tinubu from relocating back to Lagos in 2027,” Eze declared.
According to the APC chieftain, the next presidential election will not be a contest between political parties but between the Nigerian people and a government he described as “inhumane, clueless, and anti-people.”
Eze further alleged that the Tinubu administration is attempting to intimidate former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as part of a broader strategy to dismantle any opposition within a rising coalition movement. He described the timing of Malami’s investigation, barely weeks after the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari, as both “insensitive and calculated.”
He revealed that five suspicious financial transactions involving Malami are under probe, including the $496 million paid to Global Steel Holdings over the Ajaokuta Steel settlement, the Paris Club refund controversy, and the alleged mishandling of assets seized by the EFCC.
Eze insisted he is not opposed to prosecuting corrupt officials but decried what he called the selective and politically motivated targeting of opposition figures, noting that some former opposition governors now serving as ministers in Tinubu’s cabinet are being given a free pass.
“Going after Buhari’s Minister is a deliberate attempt to send a warning to other coalition leaders, Tinubu is ready to crush anyone standing in his way to 2027,” he said.
He dismissed the strategy of using security agencies like the EFCC, DSS, Police, and ICPC to hound opponents as outdated, asserting that Nigerians are no longer afraid of such tactics.
Eze argued that the president’s fixation on securing a second term has distracted him from the urgent task of rebuilding the country’s broken democratic and economic structures. “Instead of leading with purpose, Tinubu has been reduced to the worst President in Nigeria’s democratic history,” he claimed.
He called on Nigerians of all backgrounds to unite and support a growing coalition movement aimed at stopping what he described as another “four years of hellish government.”
Raising further alarm, Eze said the choice of Prof. Yilwatda, a former INEC insider with deep knowledge of the system, as APC Chairman poses a serious threat to the credibility of future elections. “This appointment portends great danger and could compromise INEC’s neutrality,” he warned.
He urged opposition parties, the international community, and lovers of democracy to resist any form of electoral manipulation in 2027, stressing the need for vigilance over the appointment of the next INEC Chairman after Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
“Nigerians must not be complacent. The fight for a transparent, competitive, and fair electoral system starts now,” Eze cautioned.
