At a major Citizens’ Town Hall over the weekend, the new Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, set the stage for the 2027 general elections with a message that was both assuring and soberingly realistic.
The event, tagged ‘Electoral Act 2026: What it means for your votes and the 2027 elections,’ and anchored by Seun Okinbaloye and Yiaga Africa’s Samson Itodo, brought together key political stakeholders, including party chairmen and civil society leaders. The central theme was clear: trust, transparency, and technology.
Amupitan’s core message was twofold: the commission unequivocally has the capacity to electronically transmit election results in 2027, but Nigerians must manage their expectations for a “100 per cent perfect election.”
The Capacity is There, But Perfection is a Process
“Let me just appeal to Nigerians,” Amupitan stated, “because I have noticed now that what Nigerians desire is a perfect election. And INEC will strive as much as possible to give this country the best election. However, we may not be able to achieve a 100 per cent perfect election for now.”
This candid admission isn’t an excuse; it’s a pragmatic assessment of the immense logistical challenges of conducting an election in a country as vast and diverse as Nigeria. His focus, instead, was on a specific and highly contentious promise: electronic transmission of results.
“As far as electronic transmission of results is concerned,” he declared, “I said it before the FCT Area Council that we have the capacity to transmit the results, and that we’re going to transmit the results. The only concern was real-time.”
The “Real-Time” Conundrum: A Lesson from Kuje
To illustrate the “real-time” challenge, the Chairman pointed to the recent FCT Area Council elections. While results from five area councils flowed in smoothly, one ward—Kabi Ward in Kuje—presented a stark reality check.
Describing it as a three-and-a-half-hour drive through terrible terrain, Amupitan revealed that once officials entered the ward, all communication was lost. They were unreachable by phone, forcing the commission to send personnel to ensure their safety before eventually retrieving the results physically the next day.
This example perfectly encapsulates the hurdle: it’s not always about the technology for transmission, but often about the logistics and infrastructure needed to get the data to a point where transmission is even possible. “Your election can be as good as your logistics,” he warned. “Where there is logistics failure, you know that you are beginning to fail.”
A New Electoral Law and a Proactive INEC
Amupitan highlighted that INEC was deeply involved in crafting the new Electoral Act 2026, ensuring that critical provisions, like making electronic transmission mandatory, were pushed for during legislative deliberations.
Backing this up, INEC has already commenced a comprehensive review of its regulations and guidelines for political parties. This proactive move aims to strengthen electoral integrity by addressing perennial issues like opaque party primaries, membership disputes, and weak financial disclosure—factors that have often led to pre-election litigation and eroded public trust.
The goal is to shift from reactive enforcement to proactive, standards-based supervision.
The Road to 2027: Cautious Optimism
Despite the admitted challenges, the INEC Chairman struck a note of strong optimism for the 2027 polls. He believes that an increasingly aware and demanding citizenry will be the ultimate driver of improvement.
“The election of 2027 will be the best election that Nigerians will have because Nigerians of 2023 are different from what you have in 2027. People are much more aware,” he said, linking credible elections directly to national development. “Nobody is happy about the classification of Nigeria as an underdeveloped country… So, by the time you have a transparent election, and people begin to trust INEC and trust their leaders, then the country will move forward.”
The Bottom Line
Prof. Amupitan’s address marks a shift in tone—one of transparent management of expectations. The promise of electronic transmission is a significant step forward, but it is not a magic bullet. It will coexist with the familiar challenges of bad terrain, logistical hiccups, and human error.
The journey to 2027 will require more than just technological upgrades from INEC; it will require continued vigilance from civil society, cooperation from political parties, and understanding from every Nigerian voter who yearns for a better democratic process. The commission is laying the groundwork for a more transparent election, but as the Chairman rightly cautioned, perfection remains the destination, not the immediate next stop.
