INEC chief demands integrity from staff for 2027 elections

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has charged staff to uphold the highest standards of integrity, warning that the electoral body cannot afford to fail the nation in the upcoming 2027 general elections.

Prof. Amupitan made the call on Friday during an official working visit and interactive session with management and staff at the commission’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State.

Addressing staff, the INEC chief warned against any form of compromise, noting that both the domestic public and international observers—including the African Union and foreign election monitoring missions—are closely tracking Nigeria’s preparations.

“Note that you are our ambassadors and you cannot afford to fail,” Prof. Amupitan said. “The general election is coming up on Jan. 16 for the presidential and National Assembly elections, and Feb. 6 for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.”

“The whole world, not just Nigerians, is looking up to INEC,” he added. “I just returned from an African Union meeting in Egypt involving all the EMBs (Electoral Management Bodies) in Africa, and everyone expressed their desire to come and monitor Nigeria’s elections. We must conduct the election in a highly professional manner.”

The chairman assured workers that the commission is taking proactive steps to overhaul logistics, infrastructure, and transport fleets across all state offices to prevent a recurrence of past operational shortcomings.

Reflecting on his tenure nine months after assuming office, Prof. Amupitan reaffirmed his commitment to restoring public confidence through transparent and credible polls, adding that field staff at the grassroots level remain critical to that effort.

He announced that while hard work and selfless service would be formally recognized, administrative misconduct and corruption would face strict disciplinary sanctions.

On worker welfare, the INEC chief disclosed that a comprehensive review of staff compensation packages is underway across the country to boost morale, noting that employee pay had previously ranked among the lowest for national public bodies.

During his visit to the Niger State headquarters, Prof. Amupitan also inspected the progress of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise at the local center.