The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan, has stated that the commission may not be able to deliver a completely flawless election in the immediate future.
Amupitan made the remarks on Sunday at a Citizens’ Town Hall Meeting on the Electoral Act held in Abuja, where stakeholders gathered to discuss electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general election.
Addressing participants at the forum, the INEC chairman appealed to Nigerians to moderate expectations, noting that while the commission would strive for excellence, absolute perfection could not be guaranteed.
“Let me just appeal to Nigerians because I have noticed now that what Nigerians desire is a perfect election,” he said.
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“INEC will strive as much as possible to give this country the best election; however, we may not be able to achieve a 100 per cent perfect election for now,” Amupitan added.
He explained that conducting elections in a country as large and diverse as Nigeria presents logistical and technological challenges that require continuous improvement rather than instant perfection.
On the issue of electronic transmission of results, the INEC chairman dismissed concerns that network failures were a fundamental obstacle to credible polls.
“I do not see the issue of transmission as a problem. The problem is not the network but the adequacy of the networks Nigeria has,” he said.
Amupitan also addressed concerns surrounding the IREV portal used in the 2023 elections, assuring stakeholders that previous technical issues had been rectified.
“The glitch in INEC IREV in 2013 has been eliminated, by God’s grace, it will not surface in Nigeria again,” he stated.
He recalled that the Senate had approved electronic transmission of election results, while retaining manual collation as a backup measure to strengthen transparency and credibility.
The INEC chairman further noted that President Bola Tinubu recently assented to the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026, a development he said would provide a stronger legal framework for the conduct of future elections.
