The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to transparent, inclusive, and credible elections as Nigeria intensifies preparations for a packed 2026 electoral calendar and the 2027 General Election.
Speaking at the first regular consultative meeting with political parties held at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, 5 February 2026, Amupitan said the year would be marked by sustained electoral activities, beginning with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for 21 February 2026.
He noted that INEC had successfully conducted the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election shortly after he assumed office in November 2025, describing it as credible, peaceful, and transparent, with strong cooperation from political parties.
According to him, the outcome demonstrated the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement, adherence to the law, and the responsible conduct of parties and candidates.
On the forthcoming FCT Area Council polls, the INEC chairman disclosed that over 1.68 million registered voters would cast their ballots across 2,822 polling units in six area councils. He said preparations were at an advanced stage, with non-sensitive materials already delivered, electoral officers trained, BVAS devices being configured, and a mock accreditation exercise scheduled for 7 February 2026. He added that campaigns would officially end on 19 February 2026.
Amupitan also announced that INEC would conduct multiple bye-elections on the same day, including polls in Rivers State for the Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies, as well as in Kano State for the Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies, following vacancies created by resignations and deaths of lawmakers.
Looking ahead, the INEC boss confirmed that governorship elections in Ekiti State and Osun State would hold on 20 June 2026 and 8 August 2026 respectively, in line with the Electoral Act, while the Commission had finalised the timetable for the 2027 General Election, pending amendments to the electoral legal framework by the National Assembly.
On voter participation, Amupitan expressed concern over declining turnout in recent elections, noting a drop from 53.7 percent in 2011 to 26.7 percent in 2023. He urged political parties to partner with INEC in voter education and mobilisation, stressing that technology alone could not address voter apathy. He also announced plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to clean up the register ahead of 2027.
In a major development, the INEC chairman disclosed that the Commission had approved the registration of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) as a political party after it met all constitutional and legal requirements. He also confirmed that INEC would comply with a court order directing the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), bringing the number of registered parties up by two.
Amupitan cautioned political parties against persistent internal leadership disputes, warning that frequent litigations divert INEC’s attention from its core mandate and undermine public trust in the democratic process. He urged party leaders to embrace dialogue, internal democracy, and unity.
Also speaking at the meeting, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, congratulated Professor Amupitan on his appointment and called on INEC to remain neutral, firm, and fair in its dealings with all parties.
Dantalle urged INEC to be guided strictly by party constitutions when recognising party leadership, warning that perceived bias could fuel internal crises and litigation. He also encouraged parties to make use of IPAC’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms rather than resorting to the courts.
The IPAC chairman further called on the National Assembly to fast-track harmonisation of the electoral legal framework, advocated mandatory real-time transmission of results to the IReV portal, and renewed calls for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions in favour of INEC conducting all elections nationwide.
Both INEC and IPAC agreed that the conduct of the FCT Area Council election, alongside the Ekiti and Osun governorship polls, would serve as a litmus test for public confidence ahead of the 2027 General Election, as they pledged continued collaboration to deepen Nigeria’s democracy.
