As Nigerians prepare for the 2027 general elections, former Governor Rotimi Amaechi has accused INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu of blocking the registration of new political parties.

“Already he is stopping parties from being registered,” said Mr Amaechi in an interview aired on Arise TV on Tuesday. “Already, INEC has taken sides as it is no longer an umpire. The so-called reforms put in place by INEC are not to anyone’s advantage because there are no political parties to compete in transparent elections.”

The former transport minister slammed President Bola Tinubu’s administration for being notorious for disregarding laws, accusing it of deploying the electoral system as a machine to stifle opposition and enslave Nigerians.

“What is funny about this government is that they don’t even obey laws. There is a state capture using the electoral system as the machine. Should that be? That should not be,” he said.

Mr Amaechi stated that Attahiru Jega, a former INEC chair, should have been allowed to remain in office.

“Electoral Act allows you to register political parties. So this electoral body doesn’t allow opposition to register political parties. I wish the National Assembly can review the constitution and allow Jega to remain there until the reforms take place.

“Where there is no electoral reform, there must be a man of conscience. Jega is a man of conscience. What happened in 2015 was transparent,” said Mr Amaechi.

INEC could not be immediately reached for comments.

The politician’s claims came amid allegations that Mr Yakubu stalled the registration of over 104 new political parties as opposition parties vowed to wrest power from Mr Tinubu in 2027. Key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Mr Amaechi, have accused Mr Tinubu’s APC government of weaponising poverty.

Labour Party’s acting national chairman, Nenadi Usman, also accused the ruling party of deploying state resources to undermine and suffocate the opposition, urging parties to unite to unseat Mr Tinubu and place the country on the path of genuine development.

However, APC spokesman Felix Morka has dismissed Mr Amaechi’s claims as “disruptive politicking”.

“Nigerians see right through their disruptive politicking. Amaechi and his cohorts are losing their grip on the economy. Accustomed to fleecing the economy, they are now compelled by Tinubu’s unprecedented reforms to adapt to a new reality where hard work, productivity, and innovation are rewarded.

“Their criticisms of President Tinubu’s reforms are decidedly self-serving, driven by a desperate quest for power to satiate their voracious rent-seeking appetite, which has long stifled and denied progress to the economy,” Mr Morka said.