Gombe, Kano, Bauchi, Delta Bye-Elections Offer Vital Lessons for General Election — INEC Chairman

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has described Saturday’s bye-elections in Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states as dress rehearsals for the 2027 General Election, insisting that no electoral contest should be dismissed as trivial or routine.

Amupitan, who personally presided over operations at the Commission’s National Situation Room at its Headquarters in Abuja on Saturday, said every off-cycle poll offered the Commission an opportunity to test its systems ahead of the nationwide exercise.

The INEC Chairman, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, described the bye-elections across Gombe, Kano, Bauchi, and Delta states as crucial operational benchmarks for testing the nation’s electoral infrastructure.

Amupitan, SAN, emphasised that no electoral contest should be dismissed as trivial or routine.

The Commission conducted four key legislative bye-elections in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in Gombe State, Dawakin Kudu State Constituency in Kano State, Sakwa and Disina State Constituencies in Bauchi State and Udu State Constituency in Delta State.

Amupitan, who asserted that every off-cycle poll served as an important dress rehearsal for nationwide elections, said, “These four bye-elections provide indispensable operational lessons for the Commission as we systematically chart our roadmap toward the 2027 General Election.”

“We must resist the temptation to view any exercise as merely an ordinary bye-election.

‘Every election is a critical component of our broader preparations for the 2027 General Election, allowing us to continuously audit our logistics framework, stress-test our technological deployment, and evaluate administrative field readiness”, he stressed.

The INEC Chairman, accompanied by National Commissioners and senior management officials, monitored the bye-elections as operational reports arrived from the field.

Amupitan reassured Nigerians of the Commission’s resolve to uphold electoral integrity, noting that operational bottlenecks encountered before polling were swiftly identified and resolved.

“Our primary mandate in the Situation Room is monitoring and proactive crisis resolution,” the Chairman said.

He added, “Whatever administrative or field challenges arose before the day of the elections, the Commission was able to nip them in the bud effectively.

“We remain committed to refining our processes so that every subsequent exercise reflects higher standards of efficiency and public confidence”, he said.

Amupitan thanked everyone present in the situation room, especially the technical team, for ensuring the Commission was able to monitor the multi-state exercise seamlessly and assess the field performance without any hitch.