The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the 2027 general elections will not have predetermined results, pledging that the commission will conduct transparent and credible polls.
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC was working closely with the Nigeria Police Force to identify, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of pre-election violence, particularly in states affected by insecurity.
He spoke during a panel session at the sixth edition of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers in Owerri, Imo State, themed, “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.”
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, Amupitan identified insecurity as one of the commission’s major concerns ahead of the 2027 elections.
“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,” he said.
He said INEC was liaising with the police, the lead agency responsible for election security, to develop strategies for conducting elections in volatile areas.
Focus on issues, not attacks
On political campaigns, Amupitan expressed concern over what he described as the growing culture of personality-driven politics and intolerance among political actors.
He urged political parties and candidates to focus on issues and policies rather than attacking their opponents.
“Election should be based on issues and not campaign of calumny and denigration,” he said.
The INEC chairman further said the commission was working with law-enforcement agencies to ensure that anyone found culpable of offences under the Electoral Act was arrested, investigated and prosecuted.
Primary disputes won’t halt elections
On litigation arising from political party primaries, Amupitan said pending cases would not stop the conduct of the 2027 elections, stressing that such disputes remained matters for the courts.
He explained that the Electoral Act provides for primary-related disputes to be resolved through the judicial process, including appeals up to the final appellate level.
According to him, elections are contested by political parties rather than individual candidates, and pending litigation would therefore not prevent a party from participating in an election.
“Whichever decision that comes out with at the end of the day, INEC will abide by it,” he said.
INEC moves against vote buying
On electoral malpractice, Amupitan said INEC was strengthening its intelligence-gathering capacity to tackle vote buying, which he noted increasingly occurs outside polling units.
“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 disclosed that INEC was working towards establishing a joint task force involving the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General’s office and other security agencies.
Amupitan noted that INEC itself does not have powers of arrest or investigation, making collaboration with law-enforcement agencies essential to tackling electoral offences.
Logistics, result management
The INEC chairman said the commission’s responsibilities also included ensuring effective logistics and result management, adding that it would continue to address shortcomings identified during previous elections.
On coordination with security agencies, he said recommendations from the Owerri retreat would be presented to the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
ICCES comprises the Inspector-General of Police, the INEC chairman and other security and relevant agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Speaking on INEC’s preparedness for the 2027 elections, Amupitan said recent off-cycle elections had provided useful lessons for the commission.
He cited the Anambra, FCT and Osun elections among recent polls, noting that none of the five off-cycle elections conducted so far had been declared inconclusive.
