On 22 October, Alwan Hassan, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, told Arise News that “a lot of ministers pay billions and billions” to get themselves appointed, and that the first thing they think of is how to recoup the money. He named no minister and offered no evidence. The APC’s national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, later said the remarks were about past administrations. Whichever government he meant, nobody has been named and nothing has been shown, which is the point of this story.
Nigeria does not lack figures that describe the problem. It lacks the part that comes after.
Start with the rankings. Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index gave Nigeria 26 out of 100 and placed it 142nd of 182 countries, two places lower than the year before. The World Justice Project’s 2026 Rule of Law Index puts the country 120th of 143, and 24th of 34 in sub-Saharan Africa.
The result sheets
Dataphyte reviewed the Ekiti governorship result sheets and flagged 452 of 2,390. More than 100 showed visible alterations, and at least 72 were missing total valid votes. The register INEC declared after the vote was 988,251, against 1,059,360 before it, a gap of over 71,000. In Osun, the same outfit found arithmetic errors in more than 900 of 3,752 uploaded sheets, and used ballots exceeding accredited voters on about 642. INEC’s Osun office did not respond. Violence tracked the same cycle: the Kimpact Development Initiative, via Premium Times, counted at least 73 incidents and 29 deaths around the Osun election.
Dataphyte field observers are reporting a mix of logistical delays, BVAS challenges, voter accreditation issues, and disputes at polling units as voting continues across Osun State. 📍Open Space Sawmill, Inisha Road, Ejigbo — 08:17 INEC officials arrived at the polling unit at 8:17 a.m., instead of the expected 7:30 a.m. The observer reported that the vehicle conveying the officials had branched off to other polling units. 📍Commercial School II, Ada, Boripe — 09:13 An APC campaigner was reportedly canvassing voters and discussing the amount they would receive for voting for the party. The allegation was recorded by the observer as a vote-trading/voter-inducement incident. 📍Open Space in Front of Shopping Complex, Abokale Junction, Sekona, Ede South — 09:16 The BVAS was reportedly malfunctioning, with only one voter attended to since 8:30 a.m. 📍Open Space, Ilori Secondary School, Jagunjagun, Ede South — 09:10 The BVAS was reportedly experiencing delays in capturing voters’ faces, while the fingerprint option was also not working. The Presiding Officer reportedly told the observer that there was no alternative option available, resulting in delays. 📍Dada Estate Olorunsogo, Egbedore — 09:02 A dispute among voters was reported at the polling unit. 📍Isokun Maternity Area, Ilesha West — 09:29 BVAS capturing was reported to be slow, although the process was gradually improving. 📍C & S Grammar School, Ipetumodu, Ife North — 09:36 Four voters were reportedly experiencing accreditation issues at the polling unit. 📍Obelawo Quarters, Ejigbo — 09:40 A minor dispute among voters was reported, reportedly linked to disorganisation in the queue. 📍Apostolic Primary School, Jagunadado, Modakeke — 09:44 Voting was ongoing, with priority given to elderly and pregnant voters. 📍OAU Primary School, Iremo I (Ajebandele), Ife Central — 09:44 Low voter turnout was reported at OAU Quarters Bus Stop 1 as of the time of observation. 📍C & S Grammar School, Ipetumodu, Ife North — 09:45 Voting was reportedly delayed as a result of the high number of voters and the time being taken by the BVAS to accredit voters. 📍Loriomo Isare II, Ilesha East — 08:53 The BVAS was reported to be slow and, at one point, unable to capture voters. The malfunction reportedly caused tension between party agents and election officials. Dataphyte continues to track BVAS performance, voter accreditation, election logistics, voter inducement, accessibility, disputes, and other emerging issues across Osun State. #OsunDecides2026 #OsunDecides #Dataphyte
— Dataphyte (@Dataphyte) August 15, 2026
Campaign season in Enugu turned deadly too. The NDC governorship flag-off on 10 October ended in violence, and Ifeanyi Nwolie was reportedly killed. Peter Obi attended his burial in Afa, Udi LGA, on 22 October. In Ebonyi, Governor Francis Nwifuru warned local government chairmen on 1 September that those who fail to deliver APC victories in 2027 would be removed.
Money tells its own story. In June, Kano hosted a ₦1.5 billion mass wedding for 3,000 people. Around the same time, President Tinubu approved ₦10 billion for Ebola preparedness. On 23 October, the APC council said the money had not been touched, while NCDC Director-General Jide Idris said the funds would go towards other viruses. A separate ₦21.2 million allocation per state sits in the picture too.
Cases that go nowhere
The smaller cases are where it gets hard to look at. The FRSC fake fines scam, which surfaced on 17 September, used spoof websites to take ₦400,000 from Eva Ibiam, $2,500 from Deza The Great and ₦1.8 million from another victim. Two of the sites were offline by 21 September. No arrests have been reported.
In March, police said none of four women interviewed after the Ozoro festival in Delta reported rape, while 16 suspects were arrested. On 27 June, nurse Mary Habila died at the Uburu compound of Works Minister David Umahi in Ebonyi. Her father declined an autopsy, a ₦20 billion suit was filed by SOKAPU, and police say they completed an autopsy but have not released the results. No one has been charged.
When NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye was asked in September whether she should resign, she laughed. The agency received 225 counterfeit complaints in August and says it has destroyed more than ₦1.5 trillion worth of fake products. And on 14 October, Senate President Godswill Akpabio opposed the bill to decriminalise attempted suicide, though it passed second reading.
None of this is hidden. It is in TheCable, Premium Times, Channels, Punch and Guardian Nigeria, on Arise and in Dataphyte’s spreadsheets. Everyone can see it, and almost nobody pays for it.
Sources: TheCable, Arise News, Premium Times, Channels TV, Punch, The Guardian Nigeria, Pulse, Dataphyte, Transparency International, World Justice Project.
