Presidency Dismisses Alleged Plot to Shift January 16 Election as Fake News

The Presidency has dismissed allegations that the Federal Government is planning to postpone the January 16 presidential election, describing the claim as fake news amid concerns raised by the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) over the integrity of the electoral process.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government was not considering any move to alter the election date, insisting that no such plan was underway.

“The federal government is not planning to shift the date of the election or postpone any election. This is not in the works; the federal government is unaware of this, and this is just fake news as far as we are concerned,” Idris said in response to the allegation.

The ADC-PCC had earlier raised the alarm over an alleged plot to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into changing the election timetable. In a statement issued by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the council claimed it had received information that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, could be summoned to the Presidential Villa and instructed to alter the schedule, with 80 days reportedly remaining before the poll.

The council urged President Bola Tinubu to abandon any such move, while calling on the INEC chairman to reject any directive to change the election date and publicly disclose any attempt to influence the commission.

“The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors at the Villa,” the council said.

It argued that Nigerians should be allowed to assess the Tinubu administration at the ballot box after years of rising prices, declining incomes and economic hardship. The council also warned against using the Ebola health emergency as a justification for postponing the election, citing the position it attributed to the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that there was no current reason to delay the poll.

The ADC-PCC called on INEC, domestic election observers and international monitoring organisations to ensure that any proposal to change the timetable was made public, supported by published health evidence and subjected to public scrutiny. It also urged the electoral commission to take appropriate measures to protect voters and election workers. At the time of the report, INEC had yet to respond to the allegation.

House of Representatives to Question INEC on 2027 Election Readiness

Separately, the House of Representatives has resolved to invite INEC to brief the relevant committee on its preparations for the 2027 general elections, following concerns about operational challenges facing the commission.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by lawmakers Mansur Manu Soro and Abdussamad Dasuki. The motion was amended to require INEC to provide a comprehensive assessment of its readiness within seven legislative days.

The proposed briefing is expected to cover voter registration, the production and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), election logistics, technology deployment, recruitment and training of electoral personnel, security planning, risk assessment and funding. Lawmakers also want details of budgetary allocations, funds released, outstanding payments and the possible impact of funding shortfalls on preparations.

The House expressed concern over reported difficulties at Continuous Voter Registration centres, including inadequate equipment and personnel, network problems, long waiting times and growing demand from citizens seeking to register or update their voter details. Lawmakers warned that these challenges could limit participation, particularly among first-time voters, rural residents, students, workers and persons with disabilities.

They cautioned that failure to address the gaps could weaken public confidence in the electoral process and threaten the peaceful conduct of the 2027 elections. The lawmakers also pointed to lessons from the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election, saying its experience with logistics, technology and stakeholder engagement could help inform preparations for the next general elections.

The Presidency’s denial and the ADC-PCC’s allegation remain distinct positions, while INEC’s response to the alleged plan to shift the January 16 election was still outstanding at the time of publication.