INEC Chairman Amupitan Blocked by Protesters in London, Demand Resignation
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, was confronted by Nigerian protesters in London on Thursday, November 12, during his visit to Chatham House, where he was scheduled to speak on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Politics Nigeria reports that the protesters surrounded the vehicle conveying the INEC chairman outside the venue, shouting at him and demanding his resignation over allegations of irregularities in the country’s preliminary voters’ register.
The demonstrators, believed to be Nigerians living in the United Kingdom, accused the electoral commission of failing to demonstrate the level of independence and transparency required ahead of the next general elections.
They also questioned Amupitan’s leadership of the commission, alleging that INEC had compromised its neutrality and was favouring President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Some of the protesters described the electoral body as a “criminal organisation” while insisting that the INEC chairman should step down from his position.
Their complaints centred on alleged multiple voter registrations, questionable photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence and the presence of polling units they considered suspicious in the preliminary voters’ register.
The confrontation occurred as Amupitan arrived at Chatham House for an engagement on Nigeria’s democratic process and preparations for the 2027 elections.
The protest attracted attention after videos showing demonstrators surrounding the vehicle conveying the electoral chief circulated on social media.
The development comes amid growing concerns over the credibility of the voters’ register, following the discovery of questionable entries during the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
INEC had faced public criticism after images of the preliminary register circulated online, with several Nigerians raising questions about the authenticity of some photographs and the possibility of multiple registrations.
The controversy prompted the commission to undertake a review of the registration records and investigate complaints submitted by members of the public.
On November 9, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had removed 1,608,660 invalid voter registrations following a comprehensive review of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The chairman explained that the commission had also removed 873 records belonging to individuals verified to be deceased.
He further revealed that 54 individuals across 10 states had been identified over their alleged involvement in registration irregularities.
The affected individuals were expected to face administrative and disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution.
According to the commission, the irregularities included suspected multiple registrations, substituted photographs and deliberate breaches of established registration procedures.
The electoral body also explained that some of the questionable entries circulating on social media were associated with previous registration exercises dating back to 2011.
This meant that the concerns surrounding the voters’ register were not limited to the latest registration exercise.
INEC maintained that it was reviewing the affected records and taking steps to prevent similar problems from occurring in subsequent registration exercises.
Despite the clean-up announced by the commission, the London protest showed that concerns over the integrity of the voters’ register remain a major issue as political activities gradually build towards the 2027 general elections.
During his engagement at Chatham House, Amupitan also addressed questions concerning his independence and the possibility of accepting a political appointment after leaving office.
The issue attracted attention following the appointment of his predecessor, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as Nigeria’s non-career ambassador to Qatar after completing his tenure as INEC chairman.
Yakubu was among 32 ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Tinubu in November 2025.
His subsequent diplomatic appointment raised questions in some quarters about the relationship between former electoral officials and political authorities.
Amupitan, however, assured his audience that he would not accept any political or diplomatic appointment after his service at the electoral commission.
He said accepting such an offer could create doubts about his neutrality and the confidence Nigerians should have in his leadership.
“I’m not going to accept any appointment from anybody because coming to serve here is based on trust,” he said.
The INEC chairman maintained that his position required him to demonstrate independence and fairness in the discharge of his responsibilities.
He also spoke about the commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly efforts to address concerns surrounding electronic transmission and the online publication of polling unit results.
Amupitan said INEC was introducing additional technical measures to prevent inaccurate election results from appearing on its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The commission’s IReV platform allows Nigerians to view uploaded polling unit results after elections.
However, the platform attracted controversy during the 2023 general elections following complaints about delays and failures in the uploading of results from polling units.
