Pending court cases over party primaries won’t stop 2027 elections – Amupitan
Pending court cases over party primaries won’t stop 2027 elections – Amupitan
Joash Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says party dispute will not stop the conduct of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Adedayo Oketola, his chief press secretary (CPS), Amupitan noted that party disputes would not affect the conduct of the general election.
According to the statement, the INEC chairman spoke during a panel session at the sixth edition of the conference and retreat for senior police officers held in Owerri, the Imo state capital.
The programme was themed, “Developing a Nigeria police roadmap for effective management of security during elections.”
He noted that elections are contested by political parties rather than individual candidates, reiterating that pending litigation would not prevent a party from participating in the election.
“Whichever decision comes out at the end of the day, INEC will abide by it,” he said.
He added that INEC is committed to conducting transparent polls and does not predetermine election results.
Amupitan said the commission is working closely with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to identify and arrest perpetrators of pre-election violence, particularly in states affected by insecurity.
He said security is one of the commission’s major concerns ahead of the 2027 elections.
“There are still some states in Nigeria that you have a lot of insecurity around, and it’s a major source of concern for us. Because that can be a source of disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and we don’t want any Nigerian to be disenfranchised,” Amupitan said.
He said the commission is liaising with the police, as the lead agency on election security, to develop strategies for conducting polls in volatile areas.
Amupitan noted the growing culture of personality-based politics and intolerance among political actors in campaigns.
He said that political parties and candidates should focus on issues rather than attacking opponents.
“Elections should be based on issues, not campaigns of calumny and denigration,” he said.
Amupitan added that INEC is working with law-enforcement agencies to ensure that those found culpable of offences under the Electoral Act are arrested, investigated and prosecuted.
While noting that several primary-related cases are before the courts, the INEC chairman said the electoral Act provides for their determination through the judicial process up to the final appellate level.
