By Goli Innocent

Human rights activist and lawyer Chidi Odinkalu has expressed doubts about the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, being able to conduct credible elections in 2027.

Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Odinkalu criticised the commission’s handling of the recent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council polls, declaring: “INEC failed. Amupitan’s INEC failed woefully. On this evidence, nobody can trust Joash Amupitan to organise credible elections in 2027.”

“There’s nothing else to it; it is not about the law. It is about the failure of will, the failure of electoral administration,” he added, urging electoral administrators to either do their homework or resign to allow more competent hands to take over.

Responding to suggestions that it may be premature to judge the INEC chairman, who was appointed late last year, Odinkalu noted that Amupitan had previously overseen a governorship election in Anambra State.

He described the logistics during the FCT polls as poorly coordinated and faulted the commission for reassigning voters without adequately notifying them of changes to their polling units.

Odinkalu challenged the electoral body to acknowledge its shortcomings and apologise to Nigerians.

He said Amupitan could tell citizens: “I take personal responsibility. This is a chastening experience. I am learning, some of these things I saw cannot happen on my watch.”

“But to simply pretend as if these things did not happen and say this is the standard to which elections are organised will be irresponsible,” he stated, adding that Nigerians are not demanding perfection but a clear commitment to improvement.

“A chairperson of INEC who is committed to credible elections would admit that there are failures that should never have happened on the watch of a credible electoral administrator and will say, ‘We will do something about it, enlist citizens who have no partisan commitments to see how we address these issues,’” he said.