The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, has said the commission under his watch has no plan to shift the 2027 general elections.
He said the poll had been fixed and preparations were in top gear, hence the commission would not alter the timetable and insisted that the elections must hold as scheduled.
Amupitan stated this during the commission’s interactive meeting with staff members in the six states of the South-South geopolitical zone and an assessment of their readiness for the 2027 general elections, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday.
This comes amid claims by some political parties that INEC plans to postpone the general elections.
But addressing the commission’s staff, including Resident Electoral Commissioners in the six states of the zone, 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.
“Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled,” the INEC boss declared.
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.
Amupitan said the six states in the zone had a total of 15,823,550 registered voters, but that the electoral umpire would pay closer attention to Rivers because of its electoral significance in the region.
He stated, “With the 3,736,434 registered voters for Rivers State, the state leads the South-South. By this, the commission will put more attention to what happens in Rivers State. It is your duty to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures.”
Amupitan further 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.
The INEC boss announced that the final voters’ register would be released on December 15, even as he reiterated the commission’s determination to resolve all outstanding issues before the deadline.
While noting that the commission had initially considered revalidating the voters’ register upon assuming office, he said the idea was dropped following concerns that the exercise would be too close to the general elections.
He also expressed confidence in the commission’s capacity to conduct peaceful, transparent and credible elections, citing lessons learnt from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State election.
Amupitan noted that the Osun election recorded the highest voter turnout in the history of off-cycle elections in the country and was adjudged locally and internationally as credible despite earlier security concerns.
“Osun State elections gave us the confidence that we can achieve this despite the noise. It is good that we had a series of those elections before the general elections because we learn lessons from every election,” the INEC Chairman stated.
INEC, he stated, would use the experience garnered from the off-cycle elections to improve its preparations for the 2027 general elections and expressed optimism that they would be better than the off-cycle polls.
He further said the commission was determined to conduct elections that would advance the country rather than create further challenges.
Amupitan said, “We will conduct elections that will move the nation forward and not an election that will bring it down.”
On the issue of security during the elections, he 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.
Amupitan further said INEC would not encourage Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and subsequently fail to guarantee their safety when they turn out to vote.
“We want every part of Nigeria to be calm during the elections so that people can come out to vote. We will not tell them to take their PVCs and then will not guarantee their safety,” he said.
Amupitan dismissed fears that Artificial Intelligence and algorithms could determine the outcome of the 2027 elections, insisting Nigerians would determine the outcome and not AI.
According to him, “It is the people of Nigeria that will decide the outcome of the elections and not AI or any algorithms.”
He, however, warned about the growing cybersecurity threats associated with Artificial Intelligence, noting that the commission would explore ways to deploy technology to protect its systems against possible attacks.
Amupitan said INEC was also working to strengthen the security of its digital infrastructure, adding that the commission would not allow anyone to undermine its operations.
He urged staff of the commission across the South-South to remain committed to their responsibilities, stressing that the success and credibility of the elections would be determined by their conduct at the polling units and other field locations.
He also warned that any staff of the commission and its ad hoc staff, including members of the National Youth Service Corps, who tried to compromise the elections in their areas of assignment would be punished according to the law.
