Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured political parties and Nigerians that the commission will not favour any candidate in the 2027 general elections.
Prof. Joash Amupitan gave the assurance on Tuesday at the formal signing of the First National Peace Accord to commit candidates and political parties to issue-based campaigns for the 2027 general election.
The event was organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre.
Amupitan said INEC has no interest in determining who wins or loses the election, stressing that its responsibility was to provide a transparent, credible and level playing field for all contestants.
“Let me state unequivocally that 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.
“Our only interest is a lawful, transparent, credible, and inclusive process. We will act as an uncompromising, impartial umpire, ensuring a level playing field for all contestants,” Amupitan said.
He pledged that the commission would remain an “uncompromising, impartial umpire,” committed to ensuring a lawful, transparent, credible and inclusive electoral process.
The INEC chairman also urged political parties and candidates to ensure that the 2027 campaigns focused on issues affecting Nigerians rather than personal attacks, character assassination and inflammatory rhetoric.
He said the signing of the Peace Accord was particularly significant as campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to commence on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Amupitan said the timing of the accord provided an opportunity for political actors to establish the ethical boundaries of the electoral contest before campaigns officially begin.
He described electoral contests in a constitutional democracy as “competitive job interviews before the electorate,” stressing that Nigerians deserved substantive debates on the country’s challenges.
He urged candidates to present clear and measurable programmes on economic growth, national security, infrastructure, healthcare, education and social inclusion.
Amupitan also warned political parties against the spread of misinformation and disinformation, particularly through their digital media teams, spokespersons and online supporters.
He said unverified and premature declarations of election results could trigger panic and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
The INEC chairman warned against incitement, identity-based provocation and the deployment of private armed groups, saying such actions could compromise the electoral process even before Election Day.
He said the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections were progressing, noting that INEC was scaling up its logistics to manage about 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
According to him, the commission had spent the past eight months refining its technology, improving logistics and training personnel, with lessons from recent elections in Anambra, the FCT, Ekiti and Osun states contributing to its preparations.
Amupitan stressed that INEC could not deliver a credible election alone.
“As I have often said, INEC cannot deliver a perfect election alone. An election is a multi-stakeholder venture. We provide the pitch and the refereeing, but the quality of the game depends on the players,” he said.
Amupitan also disclosed that the commission was introducing further transparency measures in the result-management process to improve the credibility of the 2027 elections.
He called on political actors to compete vigorously but peacefully, warning that no candidate or party would truly win if Nigeria emerged weakened from the electoral process.
“Peace is not the absence of competition; it is the presence of rules and the willingness to abide by them. Let us compete vigorously, but let us compete decently. Let us remember that at the end of this exercise, there will be no winners if Nigeria is the loser,” he said.
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