INEC Chair Amupitan Surrounded, Mobbed In London By Nigerians As He Vows Credible Polls In Chatham House Interview
Protesting Nigerians have accosted Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, in London during his Chatham House talk on Nigeria’s 2027 poll preparations.
The Nigerian Diaspora activists mobilised on social media and gathered outside the venue, and called INEC a “criminal organisation,” while accusing Amupitan of favouring President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was heckled and called a “criminal and election rigger” by the angry demonstrators in London, who accused INEC of duplicate records and AI-generated entries despite the commission’s cleanup of 1.6 million invalid ones
Videos showed demonstrators gesturing at his black sedan, with one man in a red plaid shirt reaching toward it amid security.
Amupitan highlighted reforms and off-cycle election improvements, pledging constitutional loyalty, while the event spotlighted diaspora calls for electoral accountability.
The protesters surrounded the vehicle carrying Amupitan outside Chatham House in London on Thursday, 12 November, shouting accusations at him and the agency.
Amupitan was in London to speak at a panel hosted by Chatham House and the Kimpact Development Initiative on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
They demanded his resignation over alleged electoral irregularities, citing duplicate entries and AI-generated images in the preliminary voter register, as well as alleged fake polling units.
Before Amupitan’s trip, INEC said it had removed 1.6 million invalid records from the register, including entries with manipulated AI images. The commission also said it had flagged 54 officials across 10 states.
During the panel, Amupitan pledged to turn down any political or diplomatic appointment after his tenure at INEC, citing the need to demonstrate his impartiality.
He also said INEC was introducing technical safeguards designed to prevent inaccurate results from being uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) during the 2027 elections.
