INEC neutrality has been reaffirmed by Chairman Josiah Amupitan, who says the commission has no candidate and urges issue-based campaigns ahead of 2027
Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman Professor Josiah Ojo Amupitan has reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, assuring political parties and voters that INEC has no preferred candidate or political platform.
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Amupitan gave the assurance on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 presidential election, where he also urged political actors to keep their campaigns focused on policies and practical solutions.
“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,” Amupitan said.
His comments come as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general election and concerns over electoral credibility, political tension and campaign conduct remain central to public debate.
Amupitan urged candidates and their supporters to resist the temptation to turn political competition into personal attacks or violence.
“Let the 2027 election campaign be a marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” he said.
The INEC chairman said Nigerians were more interested in solutions to the country’s challenges than political insults, calling on parties to present clear programmes that voters could assess.
“Nigerians do not want insults; they want solutions. They deserve to hear clear, concrete, and measurable manifestos,” Amupitan said.
His appeal places greater emphasis on the quality of political debate as the country moves towards another highly contested election cycle.
INEC’s preparations for the 2027 polls are already under way. The commission has previously said it is working on logistics, voter registration, election technology and personnel requirements ahead of the nationwide exercise.
Amupitan said the commission was expanding its operational capacity to manage what he described as a massive nationwide workforce.
“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 scale of the planned deployment reflects the logistical demands of conducting elections across Nigeria’s extensive polling network.
The commission has also been taking steps towards the 2027 election through its Continuous Voter Registration exercise and preparations for candidate nominations.
INEC extended the nationwide voter registration exercise by two weeks in July and introduced an online self-service option for eligible first-time voters.
Amupitan has repeatedly presented the commission’s preparedness as a key part of its responsibility ahead of the next general election.
During preparations for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election, he said logistics, election technology, personnel training and stakeholder engagement were progressing according to schedule.
The 2026 off-cycle elections also carry wider significance because they provide an important test of INEC’s systems and preparations before the 2027 general election.
Amupitan previously described the Osun governorship election as a potential mirror for the 2027 polls while appealing to traditional rulers to help reduce political tensions.
The commission’s neutrality will nevertheless remain under scrutiny as the election approaches.
Political parties and candidates are likely to closely examine decisions involving party recognition, candidate nominations, electoral technology and the enforcement of election rules.
That scrutiny has already emerged in disputes involving opposition parties and INEC’s handling of party leadership and candidate nomination issues.
In July, the commission rejected allegations from Atiku Abubakar’s camp concerning access to its candidate nomination portal, maintaining that only the recognised leadership of the affected party had access.
Against that background, Amupitan’s latest assurance is both a statement of principle and a challenge to political actors to allow the electoral process to function without intimidation or undue pressure.
With the 2027 presidential election drawing closer, the credibility of the process will depend not only on INEC’s ability to deliver technically sound elections, but also on the conduct of political parties, candidates, security agencies and voters.
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For Amupitan, the message is clear: INEC’s responsibility is to administer the election, not determine its outcome, while political parties should give Nigerians substantive reasons to vote for them.
