ABUJA, Nigeria – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed a viral social media report claiming that its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, is preparing to resign, describing the claim as fabricated.
The commission issued the denial on Saturday in a statement posted on its official X account, urging Nigerians to disregard the report and avoid circulating unverified information. “The claim is FALSE, FABRICATED AND MISLEADING,” INEC said. The commission advised members of the public to rely on its official communication channels for accurate information about its leadership and activities.
The denial comes amid growing scrutiny of Amupitan’s leadership following controversies surrounding the preliminary voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections. On November 9, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations from the preliminary register after reviewing entries from the 2025 and 2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercises. He also said 54 people across 10 states had been identified as allegedly involved in registration irregularities and could face disciplinary action, including prosecution.
The commission had received complaints involving suspected multiple registrations, questionable photographs and other irregularities in the register. The controversy followed Amupitan to London, where protesters reportedly confronted his vehicle outside Chatham House on Thursday, demanding his resignation over alleged problems with the voters’ register.
The protesters surrounded the vehicle as he left a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 elections, with some demanding that he come out to address their concerns. During the Chatham House engagement, Amupitan acknowledged that controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections had significantly damaged public confidence in INEC.
He, however, appealed to Nigerians to trust his leadership, saying the commission had introduced measures to address previous shortcomings and improve the conduct of future elections. The INEC chairman also announced plans for a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28 to test upgrades to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic transmission of results ahead of the 2027 polls.
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