The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, clarified that the commission has no plans to alter the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan said this during the commission’s interactive meeting with staff members in all six states of the South-South geopolitical zone, and an assessment of their readiness for the 2027 general elections, which was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Addressing participants, Amupitan insisted that the elections must hold as scheduled and would not be adjusted for no reason,
According to the INEC chairman, the electoral umpire was committed to delivering credible elections in line with the law.
He said: “Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled.”
The INEC boss also said Rivers State would receive special attention from the commission in the elections, given its position as the state with the highest number of registered voters in the South-South region.
He outlined that Rivers had 3,736,434 registered voters, followed by Delta State with 3,525,988; Edo, 2,865,263; Akwa Ibom, 2,566,198; Cross River, 1,928,978; and Bayelsa, 1,200,691.
Amupitan noted that the six states have a total of 15,823,550 registered voters, adding that the electoral body would pay closer attention to Rivers because of its electoral significance in the region.
Amupitan also said the commission would release the final voters’ register on December 15, saying it was committed to resolving all outstanding issues before the deadline.
He stated, “With the 3,736,434 registered voters for Rivers State, the state leads the South-South. By this, the commission will put more attention to what happens in Rivers State. It is your duty to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures.”
The INEC chairman said he had initially considered revalidating the voters’ register upon assuming office, but dropped the idea after concerns that the exercise would be too close to the general elections.
He also expressed confidence in the commission’s capacity to conduct peaceful, transparent and credible elections, citing lessons learnt from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State election.
He added, “Osun State elections gave us the confidence that we can achieve this despite the noise. It is good that we had a series of those elections before the general elections because we learn lessons from every election.
“We will conduct elections that will move the nation forward and not an election that will bring it down.”
