INEC Chairman Assures Nigerians of Neutrality Ahead of 2027 Election

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Josiah Amupitan, has assured Nigerians and political parties that the commission will remain neutral and impartial in the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan gave the assurance on Tuesday at the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 presidential election, stressing that INEC had no preferred candidate or political party.

“INEC has no interest in who wins or loses any election. The commission does not have a candidate, nor does it favour any political platform,” he said.

The INEC chairman urged political parties and their candidates to make issues and policy proposals the focus of their campaigns rather than resorting to violence, personal attacks and inflammatory rhetoric.

“Let the 2027 election campaign be a marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” Amupitan said.

He said Nigerians were more interested in practical solutions to the challenges facing the country and urged political actors to present clear and measurable programmes to voters.

“Nigerians do not want insults; they want solutions. They deserve to hear clear, concrete, and measurable manifestos,” he added.

Amupitan also assured Nigerians that preparations for the 2027 elections were progressing, saying the commission was building on previous experience to ensure a credible and well-organised electoral process.

According to him, INEC is expanding its operational and logistical capacity to accommodate the large workforce required for the nationwide election.

“I am pleased to report that our preparations for the 2027 elections are progressing with absolute precision. We are scaling our operational logistics to manage a massive nationwide ad hoc workforce of 1.4 million personnel across over 176,000 polling units,” he said.

The chairman’s remarks come as political parties and major political actors intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with concerns over electoral credibility, political violence and the independence of election management institutions remaining central to the debate.