- Urges INEC to acknowledge mistake, issue public apology
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Human Rights activist and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu, says Nigerians cannot trust the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the chairmanship of Professor Joash Amupitan, to conduct credible and hitch-free elections in 2027.
According to him, the poor handling of the just-concluded Area Councils’ elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Electoral Commission is an obvious pointer that easily cast doubts on its ability to manage and deliver a transparent, free and fair process going forward.
Speaking when he appeared on the Channels Television programme, Politics Today, to assess INEC’s handling of election logistics in the nation’s capital during the polls, Odinkalu said: “INEC failed. Amupitan’s INEC failed woefully. On this evidence, nobody can trust Joash Amupitan to organise credible elections in 2027.”
According to the outspoken commentator, the shortcomings recorded during the FCT council elections were not primarily legal issues but administrative failures, adding: “There’s nothing else to it; it is not about the law. It is about the failure of will, the failure of electoral administration.”
The Professor of law and writer stated that it is imperative for electoral officials to either prepare adequately for their responsibilities or step aside for others who are capable of doing the job with great diligence and transparency.
Odinkalu, while also reacting to argument in certain quarters that it may be too early to judge the INEC Chairmam, who only assumed office late last year, said Amupitan had prior experience, having overseen the November 8, 2025 governorship election in Anambra State.
Pointedly describing INEC’s handling of election logistics in the FCT as poorly coordinated, fiery critic slammed the Electoral umpire for reassigning voters to new polling units without proper notification on election day, noting that the unfortunate development disenfranchised many eligible voters and prevented them from performing their civic duty as citizens
He challenged INEC to acknowledge its mistakes and apologise to Nigerians, saying: “Amupitan can tell Nigerians that ‘I take personal responsibility, this is a chastening experience. I am learning, some of these things I saw cannot happen on my watch’. But to simply pretend as if these things did not happen and say this is the standard to which elections are organised will be irresponsible.”
While noting that Nigerians are not demanding perfection from INEC but clear evidence of commitment to improvement and transparent conduct, Odinkalu said: “A chairperson of INEC who is committed to credible elections would admit that there are failures that should never have happened on the watch of a credible electoral administrator and will say, ‘We will do something about it.’”
For him, it would not be out-of-place for the electoral umpire to recruit citizens without partisan interests to assist and aid the process of fixing the identified lapses ahead of the 2027 general elections.
