Nigerians Expect Too Much, No Election Can Be Perfect — INEC Boss

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has stated that Nigerians should not expect a flawless electoral process, stressing that no election anywhere in the world can be completely perfect.

Speaking on how electoral success should be measured, Amupitan explained that the credibility of an election is largely determined by logistics, peaceful conduct, and proper management of results.

According to him, one of the first indicators of a successful election is whether voting begins at the officially scheduled time. He noted that since elections were advertised to start at 8:30 a.m., meeting that timeline remains a critical benchmark.

“A successful election is based on logistics,” he said, while admitting that the commission experienced “some logistic issues and purely human issues” during the process, which authorities are currently working to address.

The INEC chairman acknowledged Nigerians’ desire for credible elections but maintained that perfection is unrealistic.

“We will try as much as possible to give this country the best election. However, we cannot achieve a 100 percent perfect election,” he stated.

Addressing concerns surrounding electronic transmission of results, Amupitan insisted that the commission has the technical capacity to transmit results across the country but clarified misunderstandings about what constitutes real-time transmission.