‘Our Allegiance Is to Nigerians’: INEC Assures ECOWAS of Neutrality Ahead of 2027 Elections
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has declared that the commission has no preferred political party or candidate ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, insisting that its allegiance remains with the electorate and the rule of law.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Friday, October 30, when he received the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission at INEC’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Addressing the delegation, led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Victor Bockarie Foh, the INEC chairman said the commission remained committed to conducting credible, transparent and peaceful elections.
“INEC under my watch has no candidate and no political party,” he declared.
“Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation,” he added.
Amupitan described the forthcoming elections as an important milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey since the return to civilian rule in 1999, noting that their successful conduct would also influence democratic stability across the West African sub-region.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters had surpassed 103 million following the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The figure represents an expansion of the country’s electoral register ahead of the 2027 polls, although the commission is expected to address claims and objections raised during the preliminary display of the register before finalising it.
The INEC chairman also said the commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones contained in its revised timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.
According to him, the commission had concluded the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and completed the physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters nationwide.
Providing an overview of the scale of the electoral exercise, Amupitan said INEC would coordinate election activities across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The exercise will cover 774 local government areas, 8,809 registration areas and 176,846 polling units.
He explained that the commission had moved beyond administrative preparations by conducting zonal readiness assessment tours to evaluate its operational capacity and identify challenges ahead of the elections.
On election technology, Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s intention to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.
He also highlighted the proposed use of electronic result management systems and the introduction of the eEC8A electronic verification platform, which he said would complement the existing INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The chairman further disclosed that INEC was working with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to strengthen security arrangements for the elections.
He called for greater cooperation between Nigeria and ECOWAS, particularly in deploying long-term and short-term election observers, sharing technical expertise and addressing challenges associated with electoral disinformation, logistics and voter education.
Amupitan also urged the regional organisation to sustain diplomatic engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to encourage peaceful campaigns and respect for democratic commitments.
In his remarks, Foh said the ECOWAS mission was in Nigeria to assess the country’s electoral preparedness and identify areas where the regional organisation could provide assistance.
He explained that the exercise was part of ECOWAS’ established practice of engaging member states approaching general elections.
The delegation’s engagements are expected to cover political party leaders and coalitions, government representatives, electoral authorities, civil society organisations, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
Foh stressed that the assessment was not limited to INEC but was intended to provide a broader understanding of Nigeria’s political and institutional environment ahead of the elections.
The ECOWAS mission’s visit comes as political activities and preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the credibility of the electoral process expected to remain a major issue for political parties, voters and other stakeholders.
