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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has called on staff and Nigerians to translate the discipline of Ramadan into a renewed commitment to electoral integrity.
In a special Eid-el-Fitr message from INEC headquarters on Friday, Amupitan described the end of the fast as “a victory of the spirit over the self” and a pivotal moment for the commission as it prepares for the 2026 off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun, as well as the 2027 general election.
Highlighting the rare coincidence of Ramadan overlapping with the Christian Lenten period, the INEC chairman said it reinforces a shared responsibility toward Nigeria’s democratic project.
“The lessons of Ramadan, patience, integrity, and empathy, are the very virtues we require as we approach the critical milestones of 2026,” he stated.
Addressing INEC’s workforce of over 14,000 staff across the 774 Local Government Areas, Amupitan emphasized staff welfare as a priority, pointing to the recent Iftar gathering at the commission, the first in eight years, as a demonstration of his staff-first policy.
The chairman also stressed the importance of professional excellence, urging a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct to combat voter apathy and rebuild public trust.
Since assuming office on October 23, 2025, Amupitan has moved to modernise INEC operations and restore institutional memory.
The commission is now operating under the new Electoral Act 2026, which enforces stricter adherence to technology such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The upcoming Ekiti and Osun governorship elections are seen as a critical test of these reforms ahead of the 2027 general election.
Amupitan emphasized that a motivated and disciplined workforce is key to safeguarding electoral integrity against external political pressures
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