RismadarVoice Reporters
November 14, 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports circulating on social media that its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, is preparing to resign, describing the claims as false and misleading.
The commission issued the denial on Saturday through its official X account, urging Nigerians to disregard the information and avoid spreading unverified reports.
INEC described the resignation claim as fabricated, maintaining that there had been no announcement indicating that Amupitan intended to step down.
The development comes amid heightened public scrutiny of the electoral commission following controversies surrounding Nigeria’s preliminary voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
On November 9, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations identified during a review of the 2025 and 2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercises.
The commission also removed 873 records belonging to verified deceased voters, bringing the total number of deleted records to 1,609,533.
INEC further identified 54 individuals across 10 states over alleged involvement in registration irregularities, including suspected manipulation of voter information and breaches of registration procedures.
According to the commission, those implicated could face disciplinary measures and possible prosecution following further investigation.
The controversy intensified on Thursday when protesters confronted Amupitan outside Chatham House in London, where he attended a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the forthcoming elections.
The demonstrators, who raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the voters’ register, surrounded his vehicle and demanded his resignation.
During the Chatham House engagement, Amupitan acknowledged that controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections had weakened public confidence in INEC.
He nevertheless maintained that the commission was implementing reforms intended to improve transparency, strengthen electoral safeguards and prevent a recurrence of previous shortcomings.
The INEC chairman also announced plans to conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28 to test improvements to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and electronic transmission of election results.
He said additional technical measures had been introduced to prevent inaccurate polling unit figures and results indicating over-voting from being uploaded to the commission’s Result Viewing Portal.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are expected to follow on February 6.
Despite the controversy and calls for his resignation, INEC has maintained that reports suggesting Amupitan is preparing to leave office are false.
