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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the outcome of the 2027 general elections will not be decided before voters cast their ballots.

He said the electoral commission remains committed to conducting transparent, free and credible elections while working closely with security agencies to prevent violence before and during the polls.

Amupitan spoke at the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers held in Owerri, Imo State, where participants discussed strategies for managing election security.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, the commission’s chairman identified insecurity in parts of the country as one of the major concerns ahead of the 2027 elections.

“There are still some states in Nigeria that you have a lot of insecurities around, and it’s a major source of concern for us. Because that can be a source of disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and we don’t want any Nigerian to be disenfranchised,” he said.

He disclosed that INEC was working with the Nigeria Police Force, the lead agency for election security, to develop strategies that would enable citizens in areas affected by insecurity to participate safely in the electoral process.

Amupitan also expressed concern over the emphasis placed on personalities instead of policies during political campaigns, urging political parties and candidates to focus their campaigns on issues rather than attacking one another.

“Election should be based on issues and not campaign of calumny and denigration,” he said.

He further disclosed that INEC was collaborating with law enforcement agencies to ensure that individuals who violate provisions of the Electoral Act are arrested, investigated and prosecuted.

On disputes arising from party primaries, Amupitan said such matters would be left for the courts to determine and would not prevent the 2027 elections from proceeding.

He explained that the Electoral Act provides mechanisms for resolving disputes arising from party primaries, including the right to appeal decisions up to the highest court.

The INEC chairman also pointed out that elections are contested by political parties rather than individual candidates, meaning ongoing legal disputes would not automatically prevent a party from participating in the elections.

“Whichever decision that comes out with at the end of the day, INEC will abide by it,” he said.

Amupitan disclosed that the commission was strengthening its intelligence-gathering capacity to tackle vote buying, noting that the practice increasingly occurs outside polling stations.

“These things are done and planned before the election. And most of the issues of vote buying now, you don’t even see them at the polling units. They are done outside of the polling units. So we need to activate intelligence,” he said.

He said INEC was considering establishing a joint task force involving the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General’s office and relevant security agencies.

According to him, INEC itself lacks the legal authority to arrest or investigate suspects involved in electoral offences.

Amupitan also said the commission would continue improving its logistics and election result management systems by addressing weaknesses identified during previous elections.

He added that recommendations from the police retreat would be presented to the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, which comprises the Inspector-General of Police, the INEC chairman and other security and relevant government agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Speaking on preparations for the 2027 elections, Amupitan said recent off-cycle elections had provided the commission with opportunities to identify areas requiring further improvement.

He cited the Anambra, FCT and Osun elections, noting that none of the five off-cycle elections conducted so far had ended in an inconclusive result.

According to him, lessons learned from each election had been applied to strengthen the conduct of subsequent polls.

He said INEC would continue working to rebuild and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.

“Just like some people were saying, oh, Osun is going to be this, Osun is going to be that, Osun is going to bring down the country. But we did everything possible, because what Nigerians are waiting for is just to be sure that the election is transparent,” he said.

Amupitan reiterated the commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive 2027 general election.

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