The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will study the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering it to recognise and upload the name of Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, the Accord presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
INEC chairman Joash Amupitan (SAN) disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a World News Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting, convened to mark 100 days to the 2027 general election.
Amupitan, while responding to a question on the judgment, reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to complying with all lawful court orders, but noted that the Federal High Court was not the final court on the matter.
He assured Nigerians that INEC would thoroughly review the judgment to assess its implications on electoral operations and timelines.
“We are going to comply with every lawful order of court. However, the Federal High Court is not the final court. So, we will study the judgment and see how it affects our operations and our timelines,’’ he said.
Also responding to a question on the Supreme Court judgments regarding candidate submissions and party eligibility, Amupitan cautioned against reliance on unverified court documents circulating on social media.
He said the commission acts strictly on authentic, Certified True Copies (CTCs) of judicial rulings before making policy or operational decisions.
“As a commission, we don’t rely on what you see on social media, especially a judgment of the final court that is not signed, and people claim that they are even CTCs, which we heard are forged — they are not correct.
“Until you have the authentic copy before you, you cannot read it, appreciate it, and analyse it,” he said.
Amupitan, however, clarified that the scope of the recent apex court’s pronouncements focused on political party eligibility to field candidates rather than individual candidate disqualifications.
“CTC of Supreme Court judgment, and whether we are going to publish the list of candidates that did not comply with the provision. You see, the Supreme Court did not talk of candidate list.
“I managed to flip through some of the judgment this morning because we actually have been asking for the CTC.
“We will look at it vis-a-vis the content and the tenor of the decision and the mischief that the Supreme Court pointed out,” he said.
Amupitan noted that INEC remained guided by statutory provisions and established judicial precedent to maintain fairness and administrative compliance ahead of the 2027 elections.
Also responding to questions on deployment of technology, Amupitan said that INEC would deploy Artificial Intelligence in areas of electronic transmission, promoting voter education and tackling disinformation to improve the 2027 general elections.
He said the commission was partnering with DIA on deployment of AI as well as Microsoft and Google to protect the integrity of INEC’s technology against compromise.
The INEC chair said the spread at which INEC concluded Osun and recently conducted elections showed that the commission had improved on its deployment of technology ahead of the 2027 general election.
“So far, we have improved on our results, which will stimulate youth participation,’’ he said.
On the participation of underage voters in the electoral process, Amupitan said the commission was taking measures to address it, citing action taken by the commission to stop it during the Osun Governorship election.
He said one of the areas he had identified was result management and welfare of staff, adding that those challenges were being addressed.
Amupiatn further said INEC was open to constructive collaborations and engagements.
