The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, has stated that the commission has no intention of postponing the 2027 general elections. He made this statement during an interactive meeting with staff members in the six states of the South-South geopolitical zone, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Amupitan emphasized that the poll had been fixed and preparations were in top gear, hence the commission would not alter the timetable.
Amupitan noted that the commission's statutory timeline for the elections had been fixed and would not be changed for any reason. According to him, INEC was committed to delivering credible elections in line with the provisions of the law. The INEC boss declared that the election must hold as scheduled. This statement comes amid claims by some political parties that INEC plans to postpone the general elections.
Amupitan disclosed that the commission would pay special attention to Rivers State in the forthcoming elections due to its strategic position in the zone and because it has the highest number of registered voters in the South-South region. He outlined that Rivers had 3,736,434 registered voters, followed by Delta State with 3,525,988; Edo, 2,865,263; Akwa Ibom, 2,566,198; Cross River, 1,928,978; and Bayelsa, 1,200,691.
The six states in the zone had a total of 15,823,550 registered voters, but the electoral umpire would pay closer attention to Rivers because of its electoral significance in the region. Amupitan stated that it is the duty of the commission to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures. He also announced that the final voters' register would be released on December 15.
Amupitan said INEC had published the voters' register online and at designated locations, adding that it had received over 5,000 claims relating to corrections, including names and dates of birth, and more than 600 objections, which were being addressed to ensure a credible voter register ahead of the elections. He expressed confidence in the commission's capacity to conduct peaceful, transparent, and credible elections.
Amupitan cited lessons learnt from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State election, which recorded the highest voter turnout in the history of off-cycle elections in the country. He noted that the Osun election was adjudged locally and internationally as credible despite earlier security concerns. Amupitan stated that INEC would use the experience garnered from the off-cycle elections to improve its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
On the issue of security during the elections, Amupitan said the commission was working with security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services, to guarantee the safety of voters, electoral personnel, ad hoc staff, and election materials. He dismissed fears that Artificial Intelligence and algorithms could determine the outcome of the 2027 elections, insisting Nigerians would determine the outcome and not AI.
Key points
- The INEC Chairman assured that the 2027 general elections would hold as scheduled.
- INEC has received over 5,000 claims relating to corrections in the voters' register.
- The commission is working with security agencies to guarantee the safety of voters and election materials.
