2027: INEC Chairman Assures Nigerians of Free, Fair and Credible Elections

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the commission will deliver free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in 2027, pledging not to disappoint the electorate.

Amupitan gave the assurance on Thursday during a dialogue organised by the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) at Chatham House in London, where he spoke on the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

He acknowledged that INEC was yet to fully recover from the loss of public confidence following the technical challenges that characterised the 2023 general elections.

According to him, the commission has introduced additional safeguards to prevent inaccurate polling unit results from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) ahead of the 2027 elections.

He explained that INEC’s post-election assessment identified collation centres as the major source of result management failures in 2023, adding that the new measures would address inconsistencies from the polling unit level.

“In 2023, there were instances of inaccurate results or results with over-voting being uploaded onto IReV. We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all,” he said.

The INEC chairman also announced that the commission would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28, 2026, to test its preparedness for the presidential election, particularly its accreditation and electronic result transmission systems.

Defending his leadership and urging Nigerians to have confidence in the commission, Amupitan cited improvements recorded in recent off-cycle elections conducted under his watch, including the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, Ekiti governorship election, FCT Area Council polls and 16 legislative by-elections.

He noted that unlike the 2021 Anambra governorship election, which took about five days to conclude, results in the recent Anambra and Osun elections were declared the day after voting.

On preparations for 2027, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had opted to upgrade its existing electoral technology rather than introduce an entirely new system, citing the limited time before the elections.

He further revealed that the commission was establishing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states to address previous challenges involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), particularly malfunctions associated with heat and storage conditions.

The commission has also procured additional devices and reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to each BVAS from 1,250 to 850. Polling units with more than 850 registered voters will therefore be provided with multiple devices.

On funding, the INEC chairman said the commission had received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget, with assurances that the outstanding balance would be released before the end of November.

He added that part of the pending funds would cater for the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel.

Amupitan also addressed allegations circulating on social media linking his phone number to a controversial X account, denying that he operated the account. He said an independent forensic review had been obtained and the matter referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.

Reaffirming his commitment to impartiality, he dismissed concerns that his previous involvement in legal disputes could influence his conduct as INEC chairman, insisting that his loyalty remained with the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.

He also said the commission had investigated and resolved complaints concerning an alleged 85 per cent increase in voter registration in a ward in Ebonyi State, in accordance with established legal procedures.

The 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.

The INEC chairman urged young Nigerians to remain actively involved in the democratic process, warning that misinformation remained a major threat to the country’s democracy.

He called on citizens to verify information before sharing it and to contribute positively to the success of the electoral process.