2027: Avoid technicalities, treat electronic evidence rigorously, INEC charges tribunals

By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA: Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan SAN, has urged members of the 2027 Election Petition Tribunals to avoid technicalities that defeat substantive justice and to subject electronic evidence to rigorous scrutiny. He also told them to keep firm control of their courtrooms and let “truth of the ballot prevail”.

According to the commission’s Daily Bulletin of Tuesday, Amupitan spoke on Monday in Abuja while delivering the Commission’s opening remarks at a three-day workshop for Justices of the Court of Appeal and members of the tribunals, held at the Body of Benchers Complex. The Court of Appeal organised the workshop under the theme “Election Tribunal as a Tool for Political Stability.” The INEC chairman said electoral litigation had grown more complex, with disputes now touching on voter accreditation, electronic transmission of results, technological failures and the integrity of digital records.

On the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), he said technology should neither be treated as infallible nor dismissed simply because the evidence is electronic. Amupitan warned that digital disinformation driven by artificial intelligence, audio cloning and deepfake videos would inevitably spill into the courtrooms.

He urged the tribunals to apply strict evidentiary standards under Section 84 of the Evidence Act, saying digital provenance, forensic chain of custody and reliance on certified data from INEC would be vital to stop synthetic fabrications from misleading the courts. He added that electoral adjudication is evidence-driven, and that allegations of irregularities, non-compliance or result manipulation must be proved with credible and legally admissible evidence.

According to him, the Commission has issued the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2026, to give clearer operational standards against which claims of non-compliance can be weighed in proceedings. The INEC chairman told the tribunal members that they carry the democratic aspirations of over 200 million Nigerians once they take their oaths.

He described the courtroom as the altar on which public confidence in constitutional governance is preserved, and urged them to let their decisions reflect deep fidelity to the law, uncompromising integrity and the principle that justice must be seen to be done. Amupitan said Nigeria’s political stability in 2027 would depend not only on how efficiently INEC conducts elections, but also on how courageously, transparently and justly the tribunals settle the disputes that follow.

He described the Election Petition Tribunal as a constitutional valve that releases political pressure and keeps electoral friction from degenerating into civil disruption. A tribunal that acts with procedural speed, evidentiary rigour and absolute impartiality, he said, assures aggrieved parties that a credible platform exists to assess their complaints on merit.

The workshop, he noted, was taking place at a pivotal point in the country’s democratic journey. The Presidential and National Assembly elections hold on January 16, 2027, followed by the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on February 6, 2027. Amupitan said the legitimacy of the country’s constitutional democracy rests on two pillars: impartial electoral administration and fearless judicial adjudication.

He added that no institution can secure electoral integrity alone, since credible elections need an impartial electoral management body, responsible political parties, informed citizens, professional security agencies and an independent, effective judiciary. He commended the Court of Appeal, the National Judicial Institute and the legal experts behind the Second Edition of the Judicial Electoral Manual (JEM), 2026, calling it an indispensable compass for consistency in judicial reasoning.

Conflicting decisions on similar facts, he said, create legal uncertainty and erode public confidence. The INEC chairman stressed that engagement between the Commission and the Judiciary must stay within constitutional limits and must never become a channel for influencing judicial decisions or discussing the merits of pending cases. He assured the Judiciary that INEC respects those boundaries and remains committed to complying with valid judicial decisions.

The event featured the swearing-in of the chairmen and members of the 2027 tribunals, and the unveiling of the Second Edition of the manual by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat M. O. Kekere-Ekun. The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice M. B. Dongban-Mensem, disclosed that 375 judicial officers had been nominated to serve on the tribunals, made up of 138 returning members with previous tribunal experience and 237 newly nominated members.

She urged the nominees to stay steadfast in judicial independence, resist every form of improper influence and discourage unnecessary