FCT Polls: Why Nobody Can Trust Amupitan to Conduct Credible Elections in 2027 — Odinkalu

Human rights lawyer and activist Chidi Odinkalu has raised serious doubts about the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct credible elections in 2027 under Chairman Joash Amupitan.

Speaking on Politics Today on Monday, Odinkalu assessed the recently concluded Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections, describing the process as a failure of electoral administration.

“INEC failed. Amupitan’s INEC failed woefully. On this evidence, nobody can trust Joash Amupitan to organise credible elections in 2027,” he said.

Odinkalu noted that the issues were administrative rather than legal, pointing to failures in planning, coordination, and logistics. He criticized the commission for reassigning voters to new polling units without proper notification on election day, a move that he said disenfranchised many eligible voters.

“There’s nothing else to it; it is not about the law. It is about the failure of will, the failure of electoral administration,” Odinkalu said.

Responding to suggestions that it may be too soon to judge Amupitan, who assumed office late last year, Odinkalu pointed out that the chairman had prior experience overseeing the Anambra governorship election, meaning expectations for competent administration were justified.

He urged electoral officials to either prepare adequately for their responsibilities or step aside for others capable of delivering credible elections. “INEC must show Nigerians that it is learning from these failures and that it is committed to improvement,” he said.

Odinkalu also called on INEC to take responsibility publicly. “Amupitan can tell Nigerians that ‘I take personal responsibility, this is a chastening experience. I am learning, some of these things I saw cannot happen on my watch,’” he said.

He added that Nigerians are not demanding perfection but expect clear evidence of commitment to reform. “A chairperson of INEC who is committed to credible elections would admit that there are failures that should never have happened and will say, ‘We will do something about it.’ Citizens without partisan interests should be involved in fixing the identified lapses,” Odinkalu said.