The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has assured Nigerians that results uploaded to the Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) ahead of the 2027 general elections will be accurate and reliable.
Amupitan said INEC had introduced additional technical safeguards to prevent the upload of inaccurate results and figures reflecting over-voting, following controversies that trailed the 2023 presidential election.
The INEC chairman gave the assurance on Thursday, while speaking at a high-level dialogue organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) at Chatham House, London.
The event was themed, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”
Addressing concerns over public confidence in the electoral process, Amupitan acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections had significantly damaged INEC’s credibility.
He, however, maintained that the Commission had learnt from previous shortcomings and implemented operational improvements since he assumed office in October 2025.
According to him, the conduct of recent off-cycle elections, including the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, Ekiti governorship election and 16 legislative by-elections, had provided opportunities to strengthen the electoral process.
“Why must Nigerians trust me? Nigerians must trust me because, number one, I have conducted off-cycle elections—and observers agree that the recent election in Osun State marked a clear improvement,” he said.
He noted that unlike previous governorship elections in Anambra and Osun, which were characterised by prolonged processes and inconclusive outcomes, results in the two states were declared the day after voting under the current reforms.
Amupitan identified insecurity, logistics and result management as INEC’s major priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
He disclosed that the Commission’s post-2023 assessment identified collation centres as a major source of election result management challenges, rather than polling units.
To address the problem, he said INEC had introduced technical validation mechanisms that would prevent inaccurate polling unit results from being transmitted to IReV.
“We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all,” he explained.
He added that Nigerians could have confidence in results displayed on the portal once they had passed the Commission’s validation process.
“The moment a result appears on IReV, citizens can trust what they see. By eliminating inconsistencies at the source, collation will become a transparent formality,” he said.
On the technology to be deployed for the 2027 elections, the INEC chairman disclosed that the Commission had opted to upgrade its existing electoral infrastructure rather than introduce an entirely new system, citing the limited time available before the polls.
He also announced measures to address the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which was partly linked to extreme heat and storage conditions during the 2023 elections.
According to him, INEC is constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states and has procured additional BVAS devices.
The Commission has also reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to a single BVAS device from 1,250 to 850, while polling units with more than 850 registered voters will be provided with multiple devices.
To test the upgraded systems, Amupitan announced that INEC would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise on November 28, 2026, across all states of the federation.
He said the exercise would simulate the presidential election and test the effectiveness of voter accreditation and electronic transmission of results.
On funding, the INEC chairman confirmed that the Commission had received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget but was still awaiting the release of the outstanding balance.
He explained that part of the outstanding funds would be used for the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel, adding that INEC had received assurances that the money would be released before the end of November.
Amupitan also addressed allegations questioning his political neutrality following claims on social media linking his phone number to a controversial X account.
He denied ever operating an X account and disclosed that an independent forensic review had been obtained, while the matter had been referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.
The INEC chairman further dismissed concerns that his previous legal representation in political disputes could affect his impartiality, insisting that he had acted strictly in his professional capacity before his appointment.
“My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act,” he declared.
He also addressed allegations of irregularities in the national voter register, including claims of an 85 per cent increase in registered voters in a ward in Ebonyi State, saying the Commission had investigated and resolved the complaint in accordance with the law.
Amupitan urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to remain actively involved in the democratic process and resist the spread of misinformation and digital disinformation.
“This country belongs to young Nigerians, and they must not relent in working for the Nigeria they desire,” he said.
He stressed the importance of verifying information before sharing it, warning that misinformation remained one of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s democracy.
The 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.
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