Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has questioned the reported appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi, wife of political figure Segun Showunmi, to head the Electoral Operations Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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Odinkalu raised the concern on Sunday, October 18, while reacting to reports that Adeyemi-Showunmi had been moved from her previous position as Administrative Secretary of INEC’s Lagos office to take charge of Electoral Operations at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
“Oh, so @SegunShowunmi’s wife is now in charge of electoral operations in @inecnigeria? It is becoming clearer….!” Odinkalu wrote on X.
He did not elaborate on what he meant by “it is becoming clearer” or make any specific allegation of wrongdoing against Adeyemi-Showunmi. His intervention, however, adds to growing demands for INEC to explain recent personnel changes in departments considered central to preparations for the 2027 elections.
Reports confirmed that Isah Magaji Gummi, who previously headed the Electoral Operations Department, was redeployed to the Voter Registry Department, while Adeyemi-Showunmi was moved from Lagos to take over Electoral Operations.
The Electoral Operations Department performs important functions in the planning and implementation of elections, including aspects of the deployment of election materials, polling arrangements and coordination of personnel involved in electoral operations.
Although the head of the department does not independently determine election results, the operational importance of the office has placed the reported redeployment under heightened public scrutiny ahead of the polls.
Adeyemi-Showunmi is married to Segun Showunmi, a political commentator who served as a spokesperson for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 presidential campaign.
The marital relationship does not, by itself, establish bias, misconduct or political interference on the part of Adeyemi-Showunmi. The questions being raised instead centre on whether INEC can publicly explain the criteria and professional considerations underlying the redeployment and the safeguards in place to protect sensitive electoral operations from actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has similarly demanded explanations from INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, over the recent changes, including the movement of Gummi and the appointment of Adeyemi-Showunmi to Electoral Operations.
HURIWA’s concerns are principally about public confidence in the electoral commission and the need for greater transparency over appointments to strategic departments as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
The organisation has not established that Adeyemi-Showunmi engaged in misconduct or that the redeployment was designed to benefit any political interest.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has also joined calls for transparency over personnel changes within the commission.
Atiku demanded that INEC disclose the criteria used in appointments and redeployments affecting Electoral Operations and other important departments, arguing that the commission should demonstrate that such decisions were based on merit, due process and considerations unconnected with political interference.
He has also sought greater disclosure regarding the production, printing, custody and distribution of sensitive materials for the 2027 elections.
The controversy places the emphasis on INEC’s responsibility to explain how decisions affecting sensitive operational positions are made and what institutional safeguards exist to prevent individual officers from exercising unchecked control over critical stages of election administration.
Such clarification could include the effective date of the redeployments, the qualifications and experience considered in selecting Adeyemi-Showunmi, the administrative reasons for moving Gummi to the Voter Registry Department and the procedures governing the custody and distribution of electoral materials.
It would also allow the commission to address public concern without subjecting individual officers to conclusions based merely on family, regional or political associations.
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