INEC Chairman Announces Where His Loyalty Lies Ahead of 2027 Election

• INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan spoke at a high-level dialogue on Nigeria's January 2027 elections, addressing allegations of bias toward the ruling APC
• Amupitan denied owning an X account that made a partisan post during the 2023 elections, calling it digital impersonation and referring the matter to security agencies
• The INEC chairman admitted the 2023 presidential election left a major trust deficit that the commission has not fully recovered from

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.

London, United Kingdom - Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Joash Amupitan, has firmly rejected claims that he is acting in the interest of any political party, saying his only obligation is to the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.

Per Vanguard, Amupitan spoke on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at a high-level dialogue organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), where the discussion centred on Nigeria's 2027 elections, democratic trajectory, and regional stability.

Amupitan denies partisan bias allegations

When asked to respond to accusations that he was sympathetic to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the INEC chairman was direct in his rebuttal. He specifically denied being behind an X (formerly Twitter) account that allegedly published a pro-APC post during the 2023 general elections, describing the situation as a case of digital impersonation. He said an independent forensic review had been obtained and the matter formally referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.

The Nation quoted Amupitan as saying:

"My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act."

"Every constitutional institution, including the Presidency, the National Assembly, and state governors, owes its primary loyalty to the Constitution and the rule of law."

INEC admits 2023 damaged public trust

Amupitan acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election had seriously harmed public confidence in the commission.

"First and foremost, let me speak about what happened in 2023, which resulted in a significant trust deficit for INEC. The damage so large that the Commission has not yet fully recovered from it," he said.

He pointed to lessons learnt from off-cycle elections conducted since then, including those in Anambra and Osun states, where final results were announced the day after voting. He also said INEC had introduced strict validation safeguards into its system to stop inaccurate figures or results reflecting over-voting from being uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The INEC chairman used the occasion to call on Nigerians to have confidence in his leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing the operational improvements recorded in recent polls and the new technical measures put in place to prevent a repeat of the problems that defined the 2023 election cycle.

Watch a video of the INEC chairman speaking at the Chatham House via the X post below:

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INEC chairman speaks on Atiku’s eligibility

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Amupitan explained that the commission would be bound by any final court ruling on Atiku Abubakar's presidential candidacy if the former vice-president fails to secure a favourable decision in his ongoing legal battle.

Amupitan made the clarification, responding to a direct question about whether Atiku would be permitted to contest the 2027 presidential election should the courts ultimately rule against him. The INEC chairman was clear that the commission would follow the decision of the courts, especially if the dispute reaches the Supreme Court.