Ogah’s Confession Exposes the Deep Rot of Election Rigging in Nigeria — INEC Must Act Now

The recent public confession attributed to Hon. Comrade Chinedu Ogah OON — a sitting member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives — has cracked open a door into the darkest corners of our electoral system. Allegedly admitting to rigging the 2023 senatorial election in Ebonyi South in favour of Senator Ken Eze, Ogah has inadvertently exposed what millions of Nigerians have long suspected: that our democracy is a façade, rigged from within, and controlled not by the people, but by a cartel of politicians who have mastered the art of electoral theft.

This is not hearsay from political opponents. This is a confession — reported by a former ally, Dr. Clifford Enyitta Iteshi, a UK-based Nigerian who claims Ogah personally admitted to engineering the rigging of Senator Emmanuel Onwe out of a race he was widely believed to have won. Ogah’s justification, according to Dr. Iteshi, was a secret political agreement: a financial payoff from Ken Eze in exchange for delivering the senatorial seat. Such a statement, if true, does not just indict Ogah — it indicts the very soul of Nigeria’s democratic process.

And yet, 24hours after the revelation made headlines, not a single word has been heard from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Not one response from the National Assembly. The APC, under whose platform both Ogah and Eze rode to power, has remained silent. No probe. No press statement. No denial. No urgency.

This silence is dangerous.

INEC, as the constitutional umpire of Nigeria’s elections, cannot afford to ignore this. The body has spent billions of naira, year after year, to strengthen electoral credibility — introducing BVAS technology, redesigning collation procedures, and promising the people that their votes would count. But if Ogah’s confession is allowed to pass without thorough investigation, then everything INEC has built in the last two decades collapses into dust. It tells Nigerians that BVAS or no BVAS, elections are still won in hotel rooms and back alleys — not at the polling units.

We call on INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu to urgently launch a full-scale investigation into the 2023 Ebonyi South Senatorial election. Let the commission revisit the electoral records. Let polling unit results be reviewed. Let returning officers testify under oath. And if irregularities are found — if indeed Senator Emmanuel Onwe was robbed — then a by-election must be declared, and those responsible prosecuted.

Beyond INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) must also wade in. If money exchanged hands as alleged, it constitutes electoral bribery and conspiracy to subvert democratic institutions. This is not just a matter of political misconduct — it is a criminal offense punishable under Nigeria’s laws. We cannot afford to ignore it simply because it involves powerful individuals.

The National Assembly, too, must act. Chinedu Ogah remains a lawmaker — a custodian of the constitution. If a sitting legislator confesses to undermining the electoral process, the House of Representatives cannot continue business as usual. A public ethics hearing must be convened. Ogah must be summoned. Nigerians deserve to hear directly from him. Was this confession made? Was the election truly rigged? And what role, if any, did Ken Eze play in it?

To do nothing would be to set a terrifying precedent — one that says political power in Nigeria is no longer won through legitimacy, but through manipulation. It will embolden more Ogahs. It will silence more Onwes. And it will plunge our democracy deeper into the pit of irrelevance.

Let us be clear: this is not about political rivalry. This is not about APC or APGA. This is about justice. About truth. About a nation that cannot keep pretending to be democratic while its elections are being auctioned to the highest bidder behind closed doors. The people of Ebonyi South deserve to know whether the senator currently representing them won his seat through their votes — or through a deal brokered in secret.

In the coming days, more will likely be revealed. Dr. Iteshi has promised further details — including a historical exposé of Ogah’s political evolution. But Nigeria must not wait for part two of any exposé before acting. The time to act is now.

The integrity of our democracy is at stake. And unless this case is properly investigated — unless Ogah’s confession is either confirmed or disproven through due process — the next election will be nothing more than a theatrical performance, choreographed in advance by men who have no respect for the rule of law or the voice of the people.

INEC, the National Assembly, the judiciary, and all responsible agencies must rise to this moment. Because silence, in the face of such a grave allegation, is nothing short of complicity.