INEC Chair Amupitan pledges impartial 2027 elections at Chatham House
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan declared his loyalty "solely to the Constitution and Electoral Act" at Chatham House, London on Thursday, dismissing concerns about his neutrality ahead of the 2027 general elections. Speaking at a Kimpact Development Initiative dialogue on Nigeria's democratic trajectory, Amupitan addressed the controversy over an alleged X account linked to him that supposedly backed the APC in 2023—INEC called it digital impersonation and referred a forensic review to the DSS and Police.
Amupitan acknowledged the 2023 presidential election caused a "significant trust deficit" INEC hasn't fully recovered from, but cited improvements in Anambra and Osun off-cycle polls where results came next day. He flagged insecurity, logistics, and result management as top priorities for 2027, and said anomalies like an 85% voter surge in one Ebonyi ward were investigated and resolved per statutory procedures.
With the next general election less than 18 months away, Amupitan's credibility test begins now: will INEC's technical safeguards and procedural reforms actually restore public trust, or will 2027 repeat 2023's credibility crisis?