The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to reports claiming that its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, is planning to resign.
The commission declared the claim false, urging Nigerians to disregard the report, which was circulated on social media alongside an image, saying it was fabricated to mislead members of the public.
INEC made its position known on Saturday through a statement shared on its official 𝕏 account, Naija News reports.
“The claim is FALSE, FABRICATED AND MISLEADING,” the commission stated.
It also advised Nigerians to always confirm information through its official communication channels rather than sharing unverified reports.
The development comes amid growing criticism of Amupitan over issues surrounding the preliminary voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
On November 9, the INEC chairman disclosed that the commission had removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations from the preliminary voters’ register after reviewing entries from the 2025 and 2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercises.
Amupitan also revealed that 54 people from 10 states had been identified over alleged registration irregularities and could face disciplinary action, including prosecution.
The commission had received complaints about suspected multiple registrations, questionable photographs and other irregularities in the voters’ register.
The issue also followed the INEC chairman to the United Kingdom, where protesters confronted his vehicle outside Chatham House in London on Thursday.
The protesters, who demanded his resignation over alleged problems with the voters’ register, surrounded his vehicle as he left a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Some of them also demanded that he step out of the vehicle and address their concerns.
Speaking at the Chatham House event, Amupitan admitted that controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections had seriously affected public confidence in INEC.
He, however, appealed to Nigerians to trust his leadership, insisting that the commission was taking steps to address past problems and improve the conduct of future elections.
The INEC chairman also announced that the commission would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28.
He said the exercise would test improvements to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan further disclosed that INEC had introduced technical measures to stop incorrect polling unit results and figures suggesting over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal.
Meanwhile, INEC has scheduled the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will take place on February 6.
