The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, faced a hostile reception in London on Thursday as Nigerian protesters surrounded his vehicle outside Chatham House, demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities in the country’s preliminary voters’ register.
The demonstrators, reportedly Nigerian diaspora activists, confronted the electoral chief as he arrived at or departed from the London-based international affairs institute, where he participated in a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Videos of the confrontation showed protesters surrounding the vehicle conveying Amupitan, shouting accusations at him and demanding that he come out to address their grievances.
Some described INEC as a “criminal organisation”, while others called for the chairman’s immediate resignation.
According to reports by TheCable and other Nigerian media organisations, the protesters’ grievances centred on alleged multiple registrations, suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs in the preliminary voters’ register and questionable polling units.
The demonstration brought the controversy surrounding the integrity of Nigeria’s voters’ register into international focus, placing additional pressure on INEC to address public concerns ahead of the 2027 elections.
The protest came amid growing scrutiny of the commission following the discovery of questionable entries in the preliminary register displayed for public examination.
INEC has acknowledged registration irregularities and said it was taking steps to identify and remove invalid records, including entries associated with suspected multiple registrations and manipulated photographs.
Addressing the Chatham House dialogue on Thursday, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative, Amupitan appealed to Nigerians to trust his leadership, promising free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in 2027.
He acknowledged that the technical failures recorded during the 2023 general election had significantly damaged public confidence in the electoral commission.
“The 2023 general election significantly affected public confidence in INEC, and the commission is still working to rebuild the trust of Nigerians,” he said.
The INEC chairman, however, maintained that the commission was introducing additional safeguards to prevent inaccurate polling-unit results from appearing on its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) during the 2027 elections.
His assurances come against the backdrop of persistent demands from political stakeholders, civil society organisations and voters for greater transparency in the management of the electoral process.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the London confrontation underscores the challenge facing INEC: convincing Nigerians that the controversies surrounding the voters’ register and the credibility questions raised by the 2023 elections will not undermine another electoral cycle.
