INEC chair urges self-discipline forward of Ekiti, Osun elections

The Chairman of the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has known as on employees and Nigerians to translate the self-discipline of Ramadan right into a renewed dedication to electoral integrity.

In a particular Eid-el-Fitr message from INEC headquarters on Friday, Amupitan described the top of the quick as “a victory of the spirit over the self” and a pivotal second for the fee because it prepares for the 2026 off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun, in addition to the 2027 basic election.

Highlighting the uncommon coincidence of Ramadan overlapping with the Christian Lenten interval, the INEC chairman stated it reinforces a shared duty towards Nigeria’s democratic challenge.

“The teachings of Ramadan,  endurance, integrity, and empathy, are the very virtues we require as we strategy the vital milestones of 2026,” he said.

Addressing INEC’s workforce of over 14,000 employees throughout the 774 Native Authorities Areas, Amupitan emphasised employees welfare as a precedence, pointing to the current Iftar gathering on the fee, the primary in eight years, as an illustration of his staff-first coverage.

The chairman additionally pressured the significance {of professional} excellence, urging a zero-tolerance strategy to misconduct to fight voter apathy and rebuild public belief.

Since assuming workplace on October 23, 2025, Amupitan has moved to modernise INEC operations and restore institutional reminiscence.

The fee is now working beneath the brand new Electoral Act 2026, which enforces stricter adherence to expertise such because the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Consequence Viewing Portal (IReV).

The upcoming Ekiti and Osun governorship elections are seen as a vital take a look at of those reforms forward of the 2027 basic election.

Amupitan emphasised {that a} motivated and disciplined workforce is vital to safeguarding electoral integrity towards exterior political pressures