INEC Clears Air on Chairman Joash Amupitan’s Resignation Status

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged members of the public to disregard the report claiming that its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, is preparing to resign.

The commission dismissed the social media report claiming that Prof. Amupitan, is set to resign, urging the public to avoid sharing unverified information.

The commission described the report, which was circulated alongside an image on social media, as false, fabricated and misleading.

INEC stated on Saturday in a statement posted on its official X account, the “The claim is FALSE, FABRICATED AND MISLEADING.”

It urged Nigerians to rely on its official communication channels for authentic information.

The development came amid concerns over alleged irregularities in the voters’ register. INEC said 54 people across 10 states had been identified as allegedly involved in registration irregularities and could face disciplinary action, including prosecution.

The commission has received complaints about suspected multiple registrations, questionable photographs and other irregularities in the register.

The controversy followed Amupitan to London, where protesters confronted his vehicle outside Chatham House on Thursday and demanded his resignation over alleged problems with the voters’ register.

The protesters surrounded the vehicle as he left a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 elections, with some demanding that he come out to address their concerns.

At the Chatham House engagement, Amupitan acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections had significantly damaged public confidence in INEC.

He, however, urged Nigerians to trust his leadership, saying the commission has introduced measures to address previous shortcomings and improve the conduct of future elections.

The INEC Chairman also announced plans for a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on 28 November to test upgrades to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BIVAS and the electronic transmission of results ahead of the 2027 polls.

He said the commission has introduced technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate polling unit results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal.

The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for 16 January, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on 6 February.