By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

A debate over the role of university academics in Nigeria’s 2027 general election has intensified following reports that more than 600 senior academics from public universities across Northern Nigeria endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term.

The development has prompted questions from opposition political groups and civil society organisations about whether academics who have publicly supported a candidate should subsequently be considered for sensitive election duties, particularly as Returning or Collation Officers.

The reported endorsement followed a meeting in Kaduna where academics discussed the political, economic and social situation in the country and assessed the performance of the Tinubu administration. The Vice-Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Professor Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, later said the participants examined data relating to sectors including education, infrastructure, investment and agriculture before reaching their position.

The issue has become significant because academics have previously been recruited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for various election assignments.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on INEC to prevent academics who have openly taken partisan positions from serving as Returning or Collation Officers in the 2027 election.

ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said publicly endorsing a candidate and subsequently participating in the collation or declaration of results involving that candidate could create concerns about impartiality.

The party acknowledged that academics, like other Nigerian citizens, have the constitutional right to support political candidates. However, it argued that public political involvement should be considered when INEC selects people for positions requiring neutrality.

The debate therefore centres on how INEC can balance citizens’ political rights with the need for confidence in officials responsible for handling election results.

INEC’s own description of election officials emphasises the importance of impartiality.

The commission says the conduct of election officials affects the level of confidence voters have in both the electoral process and INEC. It states that the actions of election officials should be characterised by integrity, impartiality, transparency and professionalism.

Returning Officers are responsible for collating and declaring election results for particular constituencies, while Collation Officers handle results at different administrative levels.

INEC’s review of the 2023 general election also states that more than one million ad-hoc officials were recruited for that election, including polling staff, supervisory personnel and Collation and Returning Officers.

These responsibilities explain why questions about the political activities of prospective officials can become particularly sensitive during an election.

Those questioning the involvement of publicly partisan academics argue that the appearance of neutrality matters as much as actual conduct.

From this perspective, an official who has recently campaigned for or publicly endorsed a candidate could face questions about impartiality if assigned to handle that candidate’s election results.

However, political support by itself does not establish that an individual would improperly perform an official responsibility.

There is also a distinction between privately holding political views, publicly endorsing a candidate, participating in campaign activities, belonging to a political party and holding a formal political position.

The debate therefore includes a broader question: what specific form of political activity, if any, should prevent someone from being recruited for an election assignment?

A blanket exclusion of anyone who has expressed a political preference could potentially affect the pool of people available for election duties. On the other hand, failing to address recent and highly visible partisan activities could raise concerns among political parties and voters.

The Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has also raised concerns about the selection of academics with recent partisan involvement for sensitive electoral positions.

The organisation has argued that electoral neutrality involves not only preventing actual misconduct but also reducing circumstances that could create reasonable doubts about an official’s impartiality.

Such concerns are particularly relevant to Returning and Collation Officers because voters generally cannot observe every stage through which results move from polling units to higher-level collation centres.

INEC has said that election officials play an important role in public confidence in the electoral process and has repeatedly emphasised professionalism and neutrality in election administration.

One proposal emerging from the debate is for INEC to publish clearer criteria governing the selection of Returning and Collation Officers ahead of the 2027 elections.

Supporters of greater disclosure have also called for sufficient information about proposed officials to be made available so that political parties and other stakeholders can raise concerns where they believe a potential conflict exists.

The aim would be to ensure that any objection is considered according to publicly known standards rather than through political accusations.

As of September 2026, there is no evidence in the material provided that INEC has decided to appoint the academics who endorsed Tinubu as Returning or Collation Officers in the 2027 election.

The reported endorsement also does not establish that any of the academics would act improperly if selected for election duties.

INEC’s published election schedule lists the presidential and National Assembly election for January 16, 2027, followed by governorship and State House of Assembly elections on February 6, 2027.

As preparations continue, the controversy is likely to keep attention on the rules governing the selection of election officials and the measures available to protect public confidence in the handling and declaration of results.