2027: INEC Pledges to Improve after Osun Election Performance
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged to build on the gains recorded during the recent Osun State governorship election as it prepares for the 2027 general elections.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, gave the assurance on Thursday while receiving a solidarity delegation at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The delegation, made up of political parties, civil society organizations, community leaders, youth and women groups, as well as other democratic stakeholders, visited the commission to commend INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), and the electoral body for its handling of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
Representing the commission, Haruna reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting free, fair and credible elections, noting that the commission had consistently sought to improve with every election.
“We are committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections,” he said.
Haruna assured the delegation that the commission would draw lessons from the Osun experience and further improve its processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said, “Consistent with that, God willing, the next general election, there will be an improvement on Osun and ultimately, the general election itself next year, there will be an improvement.”
Delegation Commends INEC
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Obed Agu, explained that the group’s visit was not a protest but an appreciation of INEC’s conduct of the Osun election, which he said had helped restore confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The group said it reviewed the commission’s pre-election preparations, election-day procedures, security arrangements, results management and stakeholder engagement during a two-day national post-election discourse organised by the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights.
According to the delegation, Amupitan had earned its confidence through what it described as institutional independence, engagement with political parties and adherence to electoral timelines.
“Professor Amupitan, you have earned confidence,” the group said, while urging the commission to sustain and improve on the standard ahead of 2027.
Agu said the delegation considered it necessary to recognise what it described as significant improvements during the Osun election.
He noted that voter turnout exceeded 40 per cent and that election results were uploaded in real time, enabling Nigerians to monitor the process.
The delegation stressed that its commendation was not based on the fact that an opposition party won the election, arguing that INEC would have received similar praise if the ruling party had emerged victorious under conditions considered free, fair and credible.
“It is not basically because it was won by an opposition political party,” Agu said.
However, he urged INEC to raise the bar further during the 2027 elections.
“We also ask INEC and the leadership of INEC to please do better than what they have done in Osun so that the faces of Nigerians will smile,” he added.
The delegation also called on INEC to ensure equal treatment for voters and political parties while safeguarding its independence and transparency.
It further acknowledged the roles played by President Bola Tinubu and the security agencies in creating what it described as an environment that allowed the Osun election to take place without undue interference.