For more than two decades, Nigerians have gone to the polls with one simple expectation: that their votes will determine who leads them and that, once the ballots are counted, the matter will end there. Yet, too often, the announcement of election results has only marked the beginning of another battle — petitions, tribunals and prolonged arguments over whether the declared result truly reflected the will of the people. The ballot box has repeatedly produced a winner, only for the courts to be called upon to determine whether that victory should stand.
Since the return of democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria has conducted seven general electoral cycles, but concerns about credibility, fairness, manipulation, vote-buying, violence, logistics and the conduct of electoral officials have remained familiar features of our political experience. The 2007 general elections, in particular, left a deep scar on public confidence, amid widespread allegations of irregularities and premature declaration of results.
That history makes the recent record of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the off-cycle governorship elections particularly significant. The elections in Anambra in 2025, Ekiti in June 2026 and Osun in August 2026 have given the Commission an opportunity to demonstrate that careful planning, technology, stakeholder engagement, stronger logistics and professional election management can restore confidence in the electoral process.
INEC deserves recognition for these improvements, not because every challenge has suddenly disappeared, but because the Commission has shown that lessons from previous elections can be applied to improve the way future elections are conducted. The three off-cycle elections have offered useful evidence of what is possible when preparation begins early and election management is approached as a serious national responsibility.
The Anambra governorship election was the first major test of Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, barely weeks after he assumed office as INEC Chairman. The Commission approached the election with considerable preparation, undertaking stakeholder engagement and pre-election assessments while testing its election technology and strengthening its operational arrangements.
The scale of the preparation was significant. INEC planned for 5,718 polling units, more than 24,000 trained ad hoc personnel, 6,879 tested and configured BVAS devices, over 3,000 vehicles and 83 boats for difficult terrain. A Situation Room was also established in Abuja to monitor field operations and respond quickly to emerging challenges, while four National Commissioners and ten Resident Electoral Commissioners were deployed to strengthen supervision.
The Commission also extended PVC collection, raising the collection rate to 98.80 per cent, while making provisions for voters living with disabilities through sign-language interpreters. These may appear to be administrative details, but they matter. Election credibility is built not only through the counting of votes, but also through the ability of eligible citizens to participate without unnecessary barriers.
The Ekiti election demonstrated another important element: preparation well ahead of election day. INEC finalised a legally verified register of 1,059,360 registered voters and engaged political parties, the media, civil society, security agencies and traditional institutions before the poll.
The signing of a Peace Accord also helped establish a common commitment to non-violence. More importantly, security planning was treated as an integral part of the election rather than something to be addressed when voting was already underway. Observers subsequently described the election as generally peaceful, although concerns such as vote-buying, isolated violence and some operational shortcomings were also identified.
That balance is important. INEC should be commended for what worked while remaining willing to acknowledge what did not. No election is beyond criticism, and an electoral commission earns public trust not by pretending that everything went perfectly, but by identifying weaknesses and fixing them before the next election.
The Osun governorship election has perhaps produced the most striking development so far. Following the 15 August 2026 poll, the statutory 21-day period for filing election petitions expired without any of the defeated candidates or political parties filing a petition challenging the result. Reports from the election tribunal confirmed that no petition had been received within the prescribed period.
That does not, by itself, mean that the election was flawless, nor should the absence of litigation become the only measure of electoral credibility. But in a country where post-election litigation has become almost routine, the fact that no petition was filed is certainly significant. It suggests that the process did not produce the kind of immediate and widespread dispute that has often followed Nigerian elections.
Having recorded these gains from the off-cycle elections, the real challenge before Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, and the Commission is now the 2027 general election.
The three elections have provided INEC with valuable lessons, but the 2027 general election will be a far greater test. A governorship election in one state cannot be compared in scale with a nationwide exercise involving the Presidency, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.
The Commission must therefore preserve what has worked and confront what has not.
Logistics must remain a priority. Election materials and personnel must arrive early enough to ensure that polling units open on time. Delayed deployment creates frustration, discourages voters and creates room for suspicion. The experience in Anambra, where thousands of vehicles and boats were deployed as part of the transportation plan, demonstrates why logistics must be treated as a central component of electoral credibility.
Technology must also be backed by proper preparation and credible contingency plans. The inability to transmit results effectively during the 2023 presidential election, amid reported network-related difficulties, damaged public confidence in the process. BVAS and electronic result transmission can strengthen transparency, but only when the equipment is properly configured, tested, powered and supported by adequately trained personnel. INEC should continue stress-testing its systems and ensure that genuine technical difficulties do not become excuses for delays or uncertainty.
The voter register must also remain clean and trusted. Continuous voter registration and the planned revalidation exercise will be important ahead of 2027. A credible election begins with a credible register, and every effort must be made to eliminate multiple registrations, ineligible names and other weaknesses that can undermine confidence.
Security agencies, too, have a major role to play. Their professionalism and political neutrality are essential. Voters must be able to approach polling units without intimidation, while electoral officials and materials must receive adequate protection. INEC should continue strengthening coordination with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
Political parties, candidates, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, the media, youth groups and persons with disabilities must equally remain part of the conversation. Early engagement is far better than explanations after problems have occurred. Political parties must also be encouraged to train their agents properly and to pursue genuine grievances through lawful channels rather than resorting to violence or misinformation.
Results management will be another critical test. There have been cases of alleged result falsification, mutilation of result sheets and other irregularities in previous elections. As the country approaches 2027, results must be communicated clearly, promptly and transparently. The more confidence citizens have in figures emerging from polling units and collation centres, the less space there will be for speculation, misinformation and unnecessary tension.
The work ahead is enormous, but the recent elections provide genuine reason for cautious optimism. Anambra demonstrated what detailed preparation and operational discipline can achieve. Ekiti showed the value of consultation, peacebuilding and coordinated security planning. Osun has produced a particularly unusual post-election development in Nigeria, with no petition filed within the statutory 21-day window.
INEC deserves credit for these gains, and Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, deserves particular commendation for the leadership he has brought to the Commission during this period. His early record suggests a willingness to listen, prepare, engage stakeholders and insist on a more disciplined approach to election management. The best way to honour that progress, however, is not through praise alone but by challenging the Commission to sustain it.
The 2027 elections will require consistency, independence, transparency, reliable technology, professional personnel, effective logistics and, above all, the courage to resist every attempt to compromise the will of the voter.
The goal should be straightforward: when Nigerians cast their votes in 2027, they should not have to wonder whether those votes will count. When the ballots are counted, the result should be credible enough for the winner to accept responsibility and the loser to accept defeat, with the courts available for genuine grievances rather than becoming an expected second stage of every election.
That is the democracy Nigerians have been waiting for since 1999. If Professor Amupitan can sustain the discipline, transparency and professionalism witnessed in these off-cycle elections, 2027 could become an important turning point in Nigeria’s long search for elections that are decided by the people, through the ballot, and not by the courtroom.
– Onogwu Muhammed, LLB, BL, LLM (In View), MIAD, ANIPR
