‘The video, which went viral on Thursday, November 12, 2026, showed a group of Nigerian protesters surrounding and blocking the vehicle conveying Prof. Amupitan outside Chatham House in central London, where he was scheduled to participate in a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections’.
By Our Correspondent
ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed as false, fabricated and misleading, reports circulating on social media alleging that its Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, is set to resign from office.
The Commission issued the rebuttal in a Fake News Alert posted on its official social media handles on Saturday, following days of intense online speculation triggered by a viral video from London.
In the alert, INEC said its attention had been drawn to a misleading image circulating on social media alleging that the INEC Chairman is set to resign.
“The claim is FALSE, FABRICATED AND MISLEADING,” the Commission stated.
It urged members of the public to disregard the fabricated report, refrain from sharing unverified information and rely solely on INEC’s official communication channels for authentic information.
“Stop the spread of fake news,” INEC added.
The rumour of the purportedly planned resignation stemmed from a recent video circulating online in which the INEC boss was said to have been allegedly attacked abroad.
The video, which went viral on Thursday, November 12, 2026, showed a group of Nigerian protesters surrounding and blocking the vehicle conveying Prof. Amupitan outside Chatham House in central London, where he was scheduled to participate in a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The demonstrators, believed to be Nigerians living in the diaspora, accused INEC of compromising its neutrality and favouring President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
They surrounded the chairman’s vehicle, shouted insults and called for his removal, describing the electoral commission as a “criminal organisation”.
Their complaints centred on alleged multiple voter registrations, photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence and questionable polling units listed in the preliminary voters’ register.
The protest followed public criticism of INEC over images and records circulating on social media, which raised questions about the credibility of the voter registration process.
INEC had acknowledged irregularities and announced investigations into the affected records. On November 9, Amupitan disclosed that the commission had removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations following a review of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The Commission also said 54 persons across 10 states had been identified as allegedly involved in registration irregularities.
At the Chatham House event, themed “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot,” Amupitan assured Nigerians of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in 2027 and said he would not accept any appointment from anybody after leaving office because coming to serve at INEC was based on trust.
Despite the confrontation in London, INEC has now made it clear that the Chairman has not resigned and has no plan to resign.
The Commission warned that the deliberate spread of fabricated images and reports ahead of the 2027 general elections is capable of creating unnecessary tension, misleading the public and undermining confidence in the electoral process.
It therefore appealed to Nigerians, particularly social media users, to verify information from INEC’s verified handles and official website before sharing, and to avoid amplifying unverified claims capable of heating up the polity.
As preparations for the 2027 polls continue, INEC reiterated its commitment to transparency, credibility and the conduct of elections that reflect the will of the people.