The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has appealed to Nigerians to trust his leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan promised to deliver free, fair, credible and inclusive elections, saying the commission was working to prevent a repeat of the technical problems recorded during the 2023 polls.
He gave the assurance on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during a dialogue at Chatham House in London. The event was organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative.
The INEC chairman acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election damaged public confidence in the commission.
“First, 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.
INEC promises stronger safeguards for election results
Amupitan said an internal review of the 2023 election identified major result-management failures at collation centres.
He acknowledged that inaccurate results and figures involving over-voting had appeared on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
However, he said the commission had introduced technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate polling-unit results from reaching the portal in 2027.
“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 stated.
According to him, the new system is designed to identify inconsistencies before results are uploaded.
Amupitan also announced a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise scheduled for November 28, 2026.
The exercise will test voter accreditation and electronic transmission of results ahead of the general elections.
INEC reduces BVAS voter allocation
The chairman disclosed that INEC had upgraded its existing electoral technology instead of introducing an entirely new system.
He explained that the commission was addressing problems associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including malfunctions linked to heat and storage conditions during the 2023 elections.
As part of the measures, INEC is building climate-controlled storage facilities across the states.
The commission has also purchased additional devices and reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to one BVAS machine from 1,250 to 850.
Polling units with more than 850 registered voters will therefore receive multiple devices.
Amupitan said these adjustments were intended to improve accreditation and reduce technical disruptions on election day.
INEC chairman defends his record
Asked why Nigerians should trust him, Amupitan pointed to elections conducted under his leadership.
He cited the governorship elections in Anambra and Osun, Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, the Ekiti governorship election and 16 legislative by-elections.
He said results in Anambra and Osun were declared the day after voting, contrasting this with the 2021 Anambra governorship election, which took roughly five days to conclude.
“Every election is a lesson. The 2023 general election was a major lesson for Nigeria, and the Anambra election was another,” he said.
The chairman also dismissed concerns that his previous legal representation in political disputes could affect his neutrality.
“My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act,” he declared.
INEC awaits outstanding 2027 election funds
Amupitan said the commission had received a substantial portion of its budget for the 2027 elections.
He added that the government had assured INEC that the outstanding balance would be released before the end of uNovember.
Part of the remaining funds is intended to support the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election staff.
He also disclosed that allegations linking his phone number to a controversial X account had been referred to the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.
Amupitan denied operating the account and said an independent forensic review had been obtained.
2027 election dates announced
According to INEC’s timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections will take place on January 16, 2027.
Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The chairman urged young Nigerians to participate actively in the democratic process and verify information before sharing it.
“Misinformation remains one of the greatest threats to our democracy. Citizens must verify information before acting or sharing, and give our democracy the chance to succeed,” he said.
With the 2027 elections approaching, INEC faces the challenge of rebuilding public confidence while demonstrating that its promised technological improvements can work effectively nationwide.
