Nigerians should trust INEC to deliver credible 2027 elections, Amupitan says

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has urged Nigerians to trust the commission to deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2027, saying new technical safeguards have been introduced to address shortcomings recorded during the 2023 general election.

Amupitan also announced that INEC would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise on November 28 as part of preparations for the 2027 elections.

He spoke on Thursday at Chatham House, London, during a dialogue organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), themed, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

The INEC chairman acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election had significantly damaged public confidence in the commission.

“First and foremost, let me speak about what happened in 2023, which resulted in a significant trust deficit for INEC—damage so large that the commission has not yet fully recovered from it,” he said.

However, he said the commission had used subsequent off-cycle elections to identify operational weaknesses and improve its electoral processes since he assumed office in October 2025.

Amupitan cited the governorship elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and 16 legislative by-elections as evidence of improvements.

“Why must Nigerians trust me? Nigerians must trust me because, number one, I have conducted off-cycle elections—and observers agree that the recent election in Osun State marked a clear improvement,” he said.