The recent Area Council and State Constituency elections in Abuja, Kano and Rivers States were the first major electoral exercise conducted by the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, following the amendment of the controversial 2022 Electoral Act. Expectations were high. Nigerians had strongly advocated mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results, rather than the Senate’s retention of Clause 60(3) of the 2022 Electoral Act, which allows results to be transmitted “in a manner prescribed by INEC.”
For many citizens, that provision left too much to discretion and too little to certainty. Unfortunately, since the announcement of the results, familiar allegations of malpractice — the same shadows that have trailed past elections — have resurfaced. While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) celebrates its victories, candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties are protesting the outcomes and preparing to seek judicial redress. Unverified reports point to vote-buying, voter intimidation, voter apathy and other irregularities that have long weakened Nigeria’s electoral system. If credible off-cycle elections cannot be delivered in just three states, concerns naturally arise about the nation’s preparedness for larger national contests.
Electoral malpractice has persistently undermined public confidence and deepened voter apathy. It is, therefore, encouraging that the amended electoral framework criminalises vote-buying and vote-selling, prescribing stiff penalties for offenders. The real test, however, lies not in legislation but in enforcement. This is where Prof. Amupitan must tread carefully. The new INEC Chairman must avoid the familiar “banana peels” that have historically eroded the Commission’s credibility. INEC must assert its independence unequivocally and ensure that voter turnout is neither suppressed nor compromised under any guise. The Commission has a duty to inspire trust through transparency, professionalism and impartial conduct.
Prof. Amupitan has a rare opportunity to make history by overseeing elections that are demonstrably free, fair and credible — contests whose outcomes reduce, rather than multiply, post-election litigation. The 2027 general elections will serve as a decisive litmus test, not only for INEC but for the government of the day. Nigeria has endured enough electoral rigmarole that turns every result into a courtroom battle. Democracy cannot flourish where ballots routinely give way to briefs. The Judiciary, too, must rise to the occasion. It must guard against being used to legitimise flawed processes or frustrate the genuine will of the electorate. In the final analysis, the sanctity of the vote is the foundation of democratic legitimacy. The will of the people must prevail — clearly, transparently and without equivocation.
