(INEC chairman Joash Amupitan. Photo by BBC)
The chairman of Nigeria’s electoral commission has warned electoral staff that there will be serious consequences if they show favour to any candidate or party during the 2027 elections.
Prof Joash Amupitan spoke at a meeting in Lagos on Monday with electoral officers from across the South-West.
He said partisan bias, negligence and lack of integrity will not be accepted.
Officers must understand that protecting the commission’s credibility is absolutely critical.
Amupitan reminded staff that when they take their oath, they commit to running elections without backing any candidate or party.
The question should never be who will gain from a decision, he said.
It should always be what the law requires them to do.
He also warned against making things up as they go along.
If the law sets out a procedure, follow it.
If the commission issues a directive, follow it.
If a problem arises, report it through proper channels.
Nobody should try to solve problems their own way.
The chairman said how well the 2027 elections work depends on how carefully officials follow the rules.
A good electoral law doesn’t guarantee a credible election.
Technology doesn’t guarantee it either. What matters is how faithfully the law gets implemented by the people running things.
Electoral officers need to know the law, understand what they’re supposed to do, stay neutral, keep records of their actions and protect the integrity of the process.
Every decision they make could eventually face public review and be challenged in court.
The commission has registered 10.7 million voters during the continuous registration process.
INEC is working to improve how it distributes voter cards and how it tracks election results from polling stations all the way to the national centre.
The goal is to make sure votes are visible, verifiable and properly validated at every step.
