INEC Commissioner Confirms Wike Gave FCT Land To Electoral Commission Officials

------A senior official of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has confirmed SaharaReporters’ earlier report that top officials of the commission were allocated plots of land in Abuja by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, but denied claims that they received $50,000 bribes.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported on Friday that Wike allegedly gave prime Abuja land and $50,000 each to more than 29 senior INEC officials, raising concerns about potential undue influence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Sources within INEC had told SaharaReporters that the land allocations and alleged financial inducements were extended to several top officials, including the Secretary to the Commission, National Commissioners, and Directors, prompting questions about the independence and credibility of Nigeria’s electoral body.

Those named in the report include Mrs. Rose Omoa Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary to the Commission; National Commissioners Sam Olumekun, Dr. Ken Ukeagu, Haruna Mohammed, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, Dr. Bala Bila, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, Prof. Sani Adam, SAN, Abdulrazaq Tukur Yusuf, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, and Prof. Nwambam Aja, as well as Directors Olawale Ibrahim S., Dr. Binta K. Mohammed, Isah Magaji Gummi, Lawrence Bayode, Victoria Eta-Messi, and six others.

However, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the supervising National Commissioner for the FCT and former Chairman of the Commission’s Estate, Works and Transport Committee, confirmed the land allocations in a rebuttal made available to SaharaReporters, while rejecting claims of financial inducement.

He described the report as “half-truth,” insisting that the allegation of a $50,000 bribe is false.

“Your story on the land allocation to members of the Commission is a half-truth while the $50,000 bribe, as far as it concerns me, is a barefaced lie. On the land matter all the members of the Commission were given application forms to fill over a year ago under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman. We did so and personally paid the appropriate fees,” Haruna said.

He added that some officials received their Certificates of Occupancy earlier this year, while others were yet to get theirs, including himself.

“Last February, half of us got their Certificates of Occupancy that had apparently been signed over a year by the Minister. The other half, including myself, are yet to get theirs and I happen to be the supervising National Commissioner for FCT and, until last February, the Chairman of the Commission's Estate, Works & Transport Committee,” he stated.

Haruna explained that the allocations were located in a new layout without infrastructure and disputed claims about the value of the plots.

"The allocations were in a new layout without infrastructure and therefore cannot be worth the N180 million your story claimed,” he said.

“Note that on this land matter, every Nigerian is entitled to apply for it anywhere in Nigeria and it has become a tradition for senior public officers serving and residing in Abuja to be allocated land in FCT at the end of their service.”

On the alleged cash inducement, he maintained, “as far as it concerns me, it is a barefaced lie,” adding that he had never met Wike.

“I have never ever met Mr. Wike in my life, never mind ever interacting with him directly or indirectly, not even when his Ministry allocated to the Commission the land opposite its current headquarters for the ongoing construction of its annex,” he said.

Sources had also told SaharaReporters that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, may have indirectly benefited from a similar arrangement, with a large parcel of land reportedly exceeding 30 hectares allegedly linked to him through proxies.

Insiders further claimed that the land allocations initially came with Rights of Occupancy but were later revoked after beneficiaries allegedly failed to pay the required Certificate of Occupancy fees within 21 days, as stipulated by Abuja Geographic Information System regulations.

“However, due to non-payment of the required Certificate of Occupancy fees within the stipulated 21-day period, the allocations were reportedly revoked,” a source said.

Subsequent interventions reportedly included financial assistance or waivers to enable beneficiaries retain ownership.

“These steps to revalidate the expired allocations reportedly included either financial support to cover the fees or the possible waiver of such fees entirely, thereby enabling beneficiaries to retain ownership without personal cost,” the source added.

According to sources, each plot is estimated to be worth over ₦180 million.

Efforts by SaharaReporters to reach Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT minister, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to a text message. Attempts to obtain a reaction from the INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, also proved abortive.

Meanwhile, the controversy comes amid fresh tensions between INEC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC). On Wednesday, INEC announced plans to remove the names of Senator David Mark and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, from its official portal as leaders of the party, citing a subsisting court dispute.

The commission said it would suspend recognition of any faction of the ADC pending the determination of the case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The decision was contained in a statement issued by National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna, who said the move followed preservatory orders issued by the Court of Appeal directing parties to maintain the status quo.

Later on Wednesday, SaharaReporters confirmed that INEC removed the names of the ADC leaders from its portal, replacing them with the notation “By court order.”

The ADC subsequently called for the immediate resignation of the INEC Chairman, accusing the commission of partisanship and undermining Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 elections.

However, Amupitan defended the commission’s decision, insisting that INEC merely complied with subsisting court orders and did not take sides in the leadership dispute within the party.