INEC denies Amupitan resignation rumour

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan. Photo: INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed a social media report claiming that its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, is preparing to resign.

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

INEC stated this on Saturday in a statement posted on its official X account, urging members of the public to disregard the report and avoid sharing unverified information.

“The claim is FALSE, FABRICATED AND MISLEADING,” the commission said.

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

The denial comes amid growing scrutiny of Amupitan’s leadership following controversies surrounding the preliminary voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

On November 9, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations from the preliminary register following a review of entries from the 2025 and 2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercises.

He also said 54 people across 10 states had been identified as allegedly involved in registration irregularities and could face disciplinary action, including prosecution.

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The commission had received complaints over 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, demanding 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 had 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 November 28 to test upgrades to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and electronic transmission of results ahead of the 2027 polls.

He said the commission had 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 January 16, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.