21st of June, 2026

OBSERVER OR PARTICIPANT? THE TENEBE QUESTION INEC MUST ANSWER.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is deeply concerned by reports that the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Mr. Jarret Tenebe, was accredited as an observer during the Ekiti State Governorship Election.

If true, this development raises fundamental questions about the integrity, neutrality, and credibility of the electoral observation process.

This is not about personalities. It is about principles. It is about safeguarding public confidence in elections and preserving the integrity of democratic institutions.

Election observation is founded on universally accepted principles of independence, neutrality, objectivity, and non-partisanship. Observers are expected to be independent assessors of the electoral process, not political actors with a vested interest in its outcome.

A serving State Chairman of a political party is, by definition, a partisan actor. He is the chief political strategist, mobilizer, spokesperson, and defender of his party’s interests within the state. His political relevance and success are directly connected to the electoral fortunes of his party.

This reality gives rise to a simple but unavoidable question: How can a serving party chairman be regarded as a neutral election observer in an election in which his party is a contestant?

The conflict is obvious.

Democracy depends not only on fairness but also on the appearance of fairness. Even where no misconduct is alleged, circumstances that create reasonable perceptions of bias are sufficient to diminish public confidence in the electoral process.

INEC’s observer accreditation framework was designed to inspire confidence and guarantee independent assessment of elections. It was never intended to create situations where leading political actors appear to wear the dual hats of participant and observer.

Accordingly, the PDP calls on INEC to immediately clarify the circumstances surrounding this accreditation and answer the following questions:

Under what category was a serving political party chairman accredited as an election observer?

Was INEC aware of Mr. Tenebe’s status as a serving APC State Chairman at the time accreditation was granted?

Do INEC’s guidelines permit serving political party officials to function as election observers?

If such accreditation is permissible, what safeguards exist to address the obvious conflict of interest?

Would the same privilege be available to officials of other political parties seeking observer status?

These are not partisan questions. They are questions that go to the very heart of electoral credibility.

The issue before Nigerians is straightforward: Can a contestant’s chief political lieutenant simultaneously be presented to the public as a neutral observer?

The answer matters because trust is the currency of democracy.

INEC must therefore provide a full and transparent explanation. The Commission owes this duty not to any political party but to the Nigerian people whose confidence in the electoral process must be protected at all times.

Silence will only deepen suspicion. Transparency will strengthen confidence.

INEC must speak. Nigerians deserve answers. Democracy demands them.

Signed:

ANICETUS OSAGIE.

Assistant Publicity Secretary

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State