INEC: We May Not Achieve a Perfect Election in 2027 — Amupitan

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, has said the commission cannot guarantee a 100 per cent perfect election in 2027, particularly with regard to electronic transmission of results.

Amupitan made the disclosure on Sunday during a Citizens’ Townhall Meeting organised by the Civil Society Network on Election Integrity at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

He, however, expressed confidence that the 2027 general election would be the best Nigeria has witnessed, noting that INEC is working to address past logistical and technical challenges.

According to him, election success should be measured by early commencement, peaceful conduct, effective result management, and transparent declaration of results.

Amupitan explained that while INEC has the capacity to transmit election results electronically, real-time transmission can be affected by network delays, similar to banking transfer alerts that do not always reflect instantly.

He acknowledged that some logistics issues recorded in previous elections were human-related and assured Nigerians that lessons had been learnt.

The INEC chairman also called for a simplified Electoral Act, saying the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 should be easy for Nigerians to understand and appreciate.

He maintained that INEC is determined to improve testing of election technologies ahead of 2027 to prevent glitches experienced in previous nationwide polls.