Janet Salihu
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has urged Nigerians and key democratic actors to work together to safeguard the country’s democracy.
He made the appeal on Thursday in Abuja at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room’s Stakeholders’ Forum on Elections.
Prof. Amupitan said credible elections and accountable governance are central to national stability, warning that democracy continues to face threats from misinformation, electoral malpractice, and political violence. noted that credibility in elections can only be achieved when political parties, civil society, security agencies, the media, and INEC collectively uphold the rules.
The INEC Chairman who highlighted the impact of technology, especially BVAS and the IReV portal, which he said have strengthened transparency and reduced manipulation, however, admitted that poor telecommunications infrastructure remains a major challenge to real-time result uploads, especially in remote polling units.
On voter participation, the INEC Chairman expressed concern over persistent low turnout, pointing to the 27% recorded in the 2023 general election.
He praised recent mobilisation efforts in Anambra State, where PVC collection rose to 98.8% after targeted interventions disclosing that the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise has recorded 2,685,725 completed registrations, with Osun, Kano, Sokoto, and Imo leading the numbers.
Prof. Amupitan announced that the FCT Area Council election will hold on February 21, 2026, and assured that necessary preparations are underway. reaffirming INEC’s collaboration with security agencies to curb vote-buying and protect voters.
He called for sustained cooperation from civil society and other stakeholders, stressing that building a credible electoral system is a continuous process that must prioritise the next generation.
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