The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has called on Nigerians to trust the electoral body under his stewardship, promising to oversee transparent, inclusive, and dependable general elections in 2027.
Prof. Amupitan made the appeal on Thursday in London during a discussion hosted by the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) at the Chatham House think tank.
Addressing lingering skepticism stemming from the 2023 elections, the INEC boss acknowledged that technological glitches during that cycle severely dented public trust in the institution—a deficit the commission is actively trying to mend.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow The Lagos Voice on Facebook and WhatsApp channel for latest updates
“The 2023 general election significantly affected public confidence in INEC, and the commission is still working to rebuild the trust of Nigerians,” Amupitan conceded.
To prevent similar controversies, the chairman outlined new technical fail-safes designed to flag discrepancies and block incorrect polling unit tallies from appearing on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
“The major problems we identified in 2023 occurred during the collation of results. We have now introduced technical measures to detect errors and prevent inaccurate results from being uploaded to IReV,” he explained, stressing that citizens should have full faith in the numbers posted to the platform.
He pointed to recent off-cycle gubernatorial contests in Anambra and Osun states as early proof of progress, noting that results were successfully finalized and announced just a day after balloting concluded.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow The Lagos Voice on Facebook and WhatsApp channel for latest updates
Looking ahead, Amupitan revealed that INEC will stage a nationwide dry run featuring simulated accreditation and voting on November 28, 2026, to rigorously evaluate system readiness ahead of the 2027 national vote.
Dismissing concerns regarding his past legal work on political disputes, the commission head reaffirmed his non-partisan stance, declaring that his allegiance remains exclusively bound to Nigeria’s Constitution and the Electoral Act.
