The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has declared that the commission has no preferred candidate or political party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality on Friday, October 30, 2026, during a meeting with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission in Abuja.
The delegation was led by Victor Bockarie Foh, a former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, as part of efforts to assess Nigeria’s preparedness for the forthcoming general elections.
Speaking during the meeting, the INEC chairman assured the delegation that the commission remained committed to conducting free, fair, credible and transparent elections.
He emphasised that INEC’s responsibility was to ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates, stressing that its allegiance remained with the rule of law and the will of Nigerian voters.
Amupitan also disclosed that the commission had commenced a nationwide readiness assessment across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to evaluate its operational preparedness ahead of the elections.
According to him, the exercise was designed to identify potential challenges, assess logistics and ensure that electoral officials were adequately prepared for the 2027 polls.
The ECOWAS delegation, on its part, said the visit was aimed at examining the level of preparedness of INEC and other electoral stakeholders while identifying areas where the regional organisation could provide support towards peaceful and credible elections.
