INEC’s trust deficit deepens as London protesters confront Amupitan over 2027 voter register

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has come under renewed pressure to demonstrate the commission’s independence and credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections after Nigerian protesters in London confronted him over alleged irregularities in the preliminary voters’ register.

The protesters, who surrounded a vehicle conveying Amupitan outside Chatham House on Thursday, demanded his resignation, accusing the electoral commission of compromising its neutrality and allegedly favouring President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Their action reflects a growing crisis of confidence in INEC, with concerns about the credibility of elections extending beyond Nigeria’s borders even as voters and civil society organisations at home continue to question the commission’s handling of electoral processes.

The demonstration came amid public outrage over suspicious entries in the preliminary voters’ register, including alleged multiple registrations, questionable photographs suspected to have been generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI), and other irregularities.

The protesters reportedly described INEC as a “criminal organisation” and accused it of preparing the ground for electoral manipulation ahead of the 2027 polls.

Although the allegations made by the demonstrators have not been independently established, the controversy has placed the commission under renewed scrutiny, particularly following its admission that a substantial number of invalid registrations had entered the preliminary register.

Public confidence weakened by 2023 election

The distrust confronting INEC is not entirely new. It is rooted partly in the controversies that followed the 2023 general elections, particularly the failure of the commission’s electronic results transmission arrangements to operate as expected during the presidential poll.

The introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) had raised expectations that technology would strengthen transparency, reduce electoral manipulation and enable citizens to independently verify polling-unit results.

However, the delayed uploading of presidential election results to IReV, alongside other logistical and operational shortcomings, generated widespread criticism and allegations of a departure from the commission’s assurances.

The European Union Election Observation Mission, in its preliminary assessment of the February 2023 elections, said INEC’s inadequate planning and public communication had reduced public trust in the electoral process.

It also reported that results uploaded through the BVAS did not work as expected and that presidential election result forms began appearing on IReV much later than anticipated on election day, raising concerns about transparency.

In its final report released in June 2023, the EU mission further concluded that shortcomings in electoral law and administration had damaged confidence in INEC and recommended reforms to improve transparency, accountability and inclusiveness.

The concerns have since been reinforced by fresh public opinion data.

A nationwide Afrobarometer survey released on November 11, 2026, found that only 35 per cent of Nigerians considered the 2023 elections completely free and fair or free and fair with minor problems.

The survey also found that only 37 per cent expected the 2027 elections to be largely free and fair, while 48 per cent believed the polls would be neither free nor fair.

Significantly, 89 per cent of respondents considered vote-buying likely in the next general elections, while 79 per cent anticipated that valid votes might not be counted. Another 79 per cent foresaw political violence, while 78 per cent feared that incorrect results could be announced.

The findings suggest that the controversy surrounding INEC is not merely a disagreement between the commission and opposition politicians but part of a wider public anxiety about the integrity of the electoral process.

1.6 million invalid registrations removed

The London protest followed INEC’s announcement on November 9 that it had removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations from the preliminary register generated from the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

The commission also disclosed that 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons had been removed as a separate category.

INEC Chairman Amupitan said the commission had received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the exercise, which were subjected to screening through its Automated Biometric Identification System.

He explained that the system initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination, stressing, however, that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically establish that a registration was invalid.

According to him, the commission subsequently reviewed complaints, claims and objections raised by members of the public after the preliminary register was displayed at registration areas between October 9 and 15.

The review led to the identification and removal of additional invalid entries, while some records initially queried were cleared and retained.

Amupitan further disclosed that 54 persons across 10 states had been identified as allegedly involved in irregularities, including multiple registrations, photograph substitution and violations of established registration procedures.

He said the affected individuals would face appropriate disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution.

The commission also explained that some of the questionable entries circulating on social media originated from earlier registration exercises dating back to 2011 and were not necessarily products of the latest Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

However, the scale of the invalid entries has intensified public demands for greater transparency in the management of the national voters’ register.

Yakubu’s ambassadorial appointment raises questions

Another issue feeding public suspicion about INEC’s independence is the diplomatic appointment of its immediate past chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who was nominated by President Tinubu in November 2025 as one of Nigeria’s ambassadorial candidates and subsequently designated for Qatar.

Although an ambassadorial appointment does not, by itself, establish that the former electoral chief compromised his independence while in office, critics have questioned the propriety of a former INEC chairman accepting a diplomatic posting from the President whose election his commission administered.

The development has become a reference point in public discussions about the institutional independence of the electoral body and the possibility of political considerations influencing its leadership.

At Chatham House, Amupitan was confronted with the issue and pledged that he would not accept any political or diplomatic appointment after leaving INEC.

“I’m not going to accept any appointment from anybody because coming to serve here is based on trust,” he said.

The INEC chairman also sought to reassure Nigerians that the commission was introducing additional technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to IReV during the 2027 elections.

He said an audit of the 2023 elections had identified collation centres as a major source of result-management failures and that the commission had developed measures to address the problem.

Amupitan also cited improvements recorded in recent off-cycle elections, including governorship elections in Anambra and Osun states, the Federal Capital Territory Area Council polls and legislative by-elections, as evidence that the commission had learnt from previous shortcomings.

He disclosed that INEC would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28 to test its upgraded systems ahead of the 2027 polls.

Beyond assurances, INEC faces credibility test

For the electoral commission, the challenge ahead is not simply to conduct another general election but to rebuild confidence among citizens who remain unconvinced that the electoral process will faithfully reflect their votes.

The London confrontation demonstrates that dissatisfaction with INEC has become an issue of concern among Nigerians living abroad, just as the latest Afrobarometer findings show the depth of apprehension among respondents within the country.

The commission’s decision to remove more than 1.6 million invalid registrations is an important part of addressing the controversy surrounding the voters’ register. However, the development also raises questions about how such a large volume of questionable entries passed through the registration and verification process in the first place.

INEC will therefore have to demonstrate not only that it has identified and removed invalid entries but also that its safeguards can prevent similar irregularities from recurring.

The demand for public confidence is particularly significant because the credibility of an election depends not only on the procedures adopted by the electoral umpire but also on whether voters, political parties and other stakeholders have sufficient grounds to trust the process.

With the 2027 elections approaching, Amupitan’s assurances will ultimately be tested by the commission’s transparency, the integrity of the final voters’ register, the reliability of its technology and its ability to conduct elections without giving any political party an advantage.

For many Nigerians, the question is no longer whether INEC can promise credible elections, but whether it can provide verifiable evidence that the next general election will be conducted in a manner that commands public confidence.