The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the results of the 2027 general elections will not be predetermined.
Amupitan said the commission was committed to conducting free, fair, transparent and credible elections, while working with security agencies to prevent violence and ensure eligible Nigerians are not disenfranchised.
He spoke in Owerri, Imo State, during the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, which focused on developing strategies for effective election security ahead of the 2027 polls, The News Edition reports.
The INEC chairman identified insecurity in some parts of the country as one of the major challenges facing the commission ahead of the elections.
He said INEC was working with the Nigeria Police Force, the lead agency for election security, to develop measures that would enable elections to take place safely in areas affected by insecurity.
“There are still some states in Nigeria that you have a lot of insecurities around, and it’s a major source of concern for us. Because that can be a source of disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and we don’t want any Nigerian to be disenfranchised,” Amupitan said.
INEC Wants Issue-Based Campaigns
Amupitan also expressed concern over the tendency of political campaigns to focus more on personalities than policies.
He urged political parties and candidates to concentrate on issues and avoid personal attacks during the 2027 election campaigns.
“Election should be based on issues and not campaign of calumny and denigration,” he said.
The INEC chairman added that the commission was collaborating with law enforcement agencies to ensure that individuals who violate the Electoral Act are arrested, investigated and prosecuted.
Party Primary Disputes
On disputes arising from political party primaries, Amupitan said such cases would be resolved through the courts and would not prevent the 2027 general elections from proceeding.
He explained that the Electoral Act provides legal avenues for resolving disputes over party primaries, including appeals to the highest court.
According to him, INEC would comply with the final decisions of the courts.
“Whichever decision that comes out with at the end of the day, INEC will abide by it,” he said.
INEC Targets Vote Buying
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC was strengthening its intelligence-gathering capacity to tackle vote buying.
He noted that vote buying increasingly takes place away from polling units, making intelligence gathering important in detecting and preventing the practice.
“These things are done and planned before the election. And most of the issues of vote buying now, you don’t even see them at the polling units. They are done outside of the polling units. So we need to activate intelligence,” he said.
He said the commission was considering a joint task force involving the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General’s office and security agencies.
Amupitan explained that INEC itself does not have the power to arrest or investigate suspects.
Lessons From Recent Elections
The INEC chairman said the commission would continue to improve its logistics, election management and results-handling processes by addressing weaknesses identified during previous elections.
He said lessons from recent off-cycle elections, including those in Anambra, the Federal Capital Territory and Osun State, would be incorporated into preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan said none of the five off-cycle elections conducted so far had been declared inconclusive, adding that INEC had used lessons from each poll to improve subsequent elections.
He also said recommendations from the police retreat would be presented to the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), which brings together INEC, the police and other security and government agencies.
Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to strengthening public confidence in the electoral process and delivering a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in 2027.