Bye-elections dress rehearsals for 2027, says INEC chair

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has described Saturday’s bye-elections in Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states as dress rehearsals for the 2027 General Election, insisting that no electoral contest should be dismissed as trivial or routine.

Amupitan, who personally presided over operations at the Commission’s National Situation Room at its headquarters in Abuja on Saturday, said every off-cycle poll offered the Commission an opportunity to test its systems ahead of the nationwide exercise.

Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, in a statement said the Commission conducted four key legislative bye-elections in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in Gombe State, the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency in Kano State, the Sakwa and Disina State Constituencies in Bauchi State, and the Udu State Constituency in Delta State.

“These four bye-elections provide indispensable operational lessons for the Commission as we systematically chart our roadmap toward the 2027 General Election.

“We must resist the temptation to view any exercise as merely an ordinary by-election. Every election is a critical component of our broader preparations for the 2027 General Election, allowing us to continuously audit our logistics framework, stress-test our technological deployment, and evaluate administrative field readiness,” Amupitan said.

The INEC Chairman, who was accompanied by National Commissioners and senior management officials, monitored the bye-elections as operational reports arrived from the field.

Amupitan reassured Nigerians of the Commission’s resolve to uphold electoral integrity, noting that operational bottlenecks encountered before polling were swiftly identified and resolved.

“Our primary mandate in the Situation Room is monitoring and proactive crisis resolution. Whatever administrative or field challenges arose before the day of the elections, the Commission was able to nip them in the bud effectively. We remain committed to refining our processes so that every subsequent exercise reflects higher standards of efficiency and public confidence,” the chairman added.

He thanked everyone present in the situation room, especially the technical team, for ensuring the Commission was able to monitor the multi-state exercise seamlessly and assess field performance without any hitch.