INEC Chairman; Prof Joash Amupitan

Author: Gist Correspondent

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan has said the 2027 general elections will not have predetermined results, assuring Nigerians that the commission is committed to transparent polls. 

He spoke at the sixth 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 by his media adviser, Adedayo Oketola.

Amupitan said insecurity in some states remains a major concern and could disenfranchise Nigerians. 

INEC, he said, is working with the Nigeria Police to identify and arrest perpetrators of pre-election violence and to develop strategies for conducting elections in volatile areas.

He urged political parties and candidates to focus on issues rather than attacking opponents, saying elections should not be based on campaigns of calumny. 

He added that INEC is working with law-enforcement agencies to ensure Electoral Act offenders are arrested, investigated and prosecuted.

On litigations arising from party primaries, Amupitan said such disputes would not stop the 2027 elections and that INEC would abide by the courts’ decisions.

To tackle vote buying, which he said increasingly takes place outside polling units, Amupitan said INEC is strengthening its intelligence-gathering capacity and plans a joint task force with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General’s office and security agencies. He noted that INEC lacks powers of arrest or investigation.

He said lessons from recent off-cycle elections, none of which were declared inconclusive, will guide preparations for 2027.

Recommendations from the retreat will be presented to the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to a free, fair, credible and inclusive 2027 general election.