The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Josiah Amupitan, has assured Nigerians and political parties that the electoral body will remain neutral and impartial throughout the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Tuesday during the National Peace Accord organised ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to the INEC chairman, the commission has no preferred candidate or political party and will not interfere with the choice of Nigerian voters.
“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.
Amupitan Calls for Issue-Based Campaigns
The INEC chairman urged political parties and their candidates to make the 2027 election campaign about policies and practical solutions rather than personal attacks, inflammatory rhetoric or violence.
He described the campaign period as an opportunity for candidates to present their ideas and programmes to Nigerians.
“Let the 2027 election campaign be a marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” he said.
Amupitan added that Nigerians were more interested in solutions to the challenges affecting their daily lives than political insults and accusations.
“Nigerians do not want insults; they want solutions. They deserve to hear clear, concrete, and measurable manifestos,” he stated.
INEC Expands Preparations for 2027
The electoral commission chairman also disclosed that preparations for the 2027 elections were progressing, with INEC strengthening its logistics and operational capacity ahead of the nationwide exercise.
He said the commission was preparing to manage a large temporary workforce that would be required to conduct the election across the country.
“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,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman’s comments come as political parties and presidential aspirants begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
With political activities expected to intensify in the coming months, the commission faces growing expectations from Nigerians to ensure that the electoral process is transparent, credible and conducted on a level playing field.
Amupitan’s pledge of neutrality is also likely to be closely watched by political parties and civil society groups as preparations for the next general elections gather momentum.
