By Abiola Olawale
As the countdown to Nigeria’s next general election begins, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has offered a sobering reality check.
While expressing a commitment to technological advancement, the INEC chief noted that achieving a “100% perfect” election in 2027 remains an uphill battle due to systemic, logistical, and human factors.
Amupitan spoke on Sunday at the Citizens’ Town Hall programme aired live on major television networks and tagged, ‘Electoral Act 2026: What it means for your votes and the 2027 elections.’
The live electoral debate was anchored by popular presenter Seun Okinbaloye and Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa.
In attendance were the All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, and Labour Party’s Interim National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, Senator Ireti Kingibe, among others.
Amupitan appealed to Nigerians to manage expectations, saying the commission would strive for excellence but could not promise perfection.
“Let me just appeal to Nigerians, because I have noticed now that what Nigerians desire is a perfect election. And INEC will strive as much as possible to give this country the best election.
“However, we may not be able to achieve a 100 percent perfect election for now. But as far as electronic transmission of results is concerned, I said it before the FCT Area Council that we have the capacity to transmit the results, and that we’re going to transmit the results. The only concern was real-time,” he stated.
The INEC chairman described elections as central to democratic governance, emphasising the importance of voter education and institutional transparency.
“Election, for that matter, is the lifeblood of democracy. According to Abraham Lincoln, the ballot is more powerful than the bullets. Additionally, the ignorance of a voter is detrimental to a nation’s security.
“So, that is why we cannot underscore the role of INEC, as well as the civil society, in guaranteeing a transparent and credible election,” he stated.
Amupitan noted that INEC was actively involved in the process that produced the Electoral Act 2026, which he said began about three years ago through a joint committee comprising members of the National Assembly, civil society organisations and the commission.
“As of the time I was taking over, the work was almost concluded. Nonetheless, we still made some important provisions and recommendations in the new acts,” he said.
On the contentious issue of electronic transmission of results — a subject that dominated debates after the 2023 general elections — Amupitan disclosed that the commission pushed for mandatory transmission during legislative deliberations.
“Now, even talking about the transmission of the results, you will notice that the original provision that came out of the retreat from the National Assembly was not exactly what you have today.
“But when INEC came in, we talked of transmission being mandatory. But let us be sincere and honest. The only problem that we had was how to define what we call real time,” he stated.
