The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has insisted that the fate of elections in Nigeria should not be settled in courtrooms.
Speaking at the 56th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) held on Monday, the 27th of October, 2025, at the University of Abuja, Amupitan maintained that election victories must be decided at polling units, not in courts.
The INEC boss expressed his commitment to ending the growing number of pre-election litigations “that have long burdened Nigeria’s electoral process.”
He also called on political parties to institute internal reforms that reflect integrity and fairness.
Amupitan said: “If political parties obey their constitutions, respect the Electoral Act, and align with the Nigerian Constitution, the avalanche of pre-election cases will collapse.”
He further stated that his vision is to make the law “an instrument of change, not chaos.”
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“My desire is that when we get the law right, even the losers will be the first to congratulate the winner. That is when our democracy can be said to have matured,” he added.
The INEC chairman also appealed to the National Assembly to enact stronger laws that would enhance transparency and credibility in the electoral process.
“We cannot continue to allow the courts to determine our elections. Elections must be won at the polling units, not in the courtroom,” Amupitan said.