The advocacy group urged Professor Amupitan to prioritize tangible delivery over rhetoric, calling for every polling unit to be properly equipped, every result uploaded in real-time, and every voter correctly accredited.
As Nigeria begins the countdown to the 2027 general elections, FixPolitics Initiative, a leading civil society organization has issued a firm warning to the country’s electoral body: public trust without robust technology is insufficient, and Nigerians will accept nothing less than full deployment of proven electoral systems.
FixPolitics responded Thursday to recent remarks by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, who emphasized the importance of public trust and journalism in validating elections during a book launch in Abuja.
While applauding the INEC chairman’s recognition of trust as foundational to democracy, the advocacy group cautioned that words alone cannot restore confidence in a system repeatedly undermined by human failure, manipulation, and partisan interference.
“Prof. Amupitan said, ‘elections do not succeed on technology alone; they succeed when the public believes in the information they receive,'” the statement noted. “However, we believe it is vital to stress that in Nigeria’s context, trust grounded only in words, even by well-meaning actors, is no longer sufficient.”
Anthony Ubani, Executive Director of FixPolitics, emphasized that Nigerians now demand evidence-driven processes backed by verifiable technology rather than promises from officials.
The organization pointed to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IReV election results portal as proven tools that have curbed identity fraud, multiple voting, and result manipulation in recent elections.
Under Professor Amupitan’s predecessor, INEC itself declared that BVAS had “effectively solved the protracted challenge of identity theft in Nigeria’s elections.”
The advocacy group urged Professor Amupitan to prioritize tangible delivery over rhetoric, calling for every polling unit to be properly equipped, every result uploaded in real-time, and every voter correctly accredited.
“Prof. Amupitan should keep his eye on this: deliver results, not rhetoric,” the statement read. “Only then can Nigerians believe, not just hear, that their votes count, and that elections reflect their will.”
FixPolitics, which has been at the forefront of electoral reform advocacy in Nigeria, pledged continued support for efforts to ensure free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in 2027 and beyond, while maintaining its firm stance that technological deployment remains non-negotiable.
The statement comes amid heightened public scrutiny of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 elections, with many Nigerians still questioning irregularities from previous polls despite technological interventions.
As the 2027 electoral cycle approaches, the pressure on INEC to demonstrate concrete commitment to technology-driven transparency continues to mount, with civil society organizations like FixPolitics positioning themselves as watchdogs determined to hold the commission accountable.
“This is where the Nigerian electorate stands, and this is where #FixPolitics stands,” Ubani concluded.
