Spread the word
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has said that the royal fathers were the ultimate anchors of grassroots peace, civic engagement, and community stability.
Prof. Amupitan stated this on Monday 19th October, 2026 in Enugu during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council and Chairman of the South-East Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Igwe Sir Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu.
The Chairman, who led National Commissioners and senior management of the Commission on the visit, said the tour was beginning in the zone with homage to its traditional institutions.
“We consider it an essential administrative protocol and a deeply cherished tradition to begin our work in Enugu state by paying homage to the revered custodians of our culture, tradition, and community values,” he said.
He said the Commission had, across the geopolitical zones visited so far, prioritised direct engagement with leading traditional rulers.
“The Commission has made it a priority to interface directly with top traditional rulers, recognising that royal fathers are the ultimate anchors of grassroots peace, civic engagement, and community stability,” he stated.
According to him, the Commission had so far engaged the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, and the Ataoja of Osogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, Larooye II, both in Osun state.
Others, he said, were the Oba of Lagos, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, in Lagos State, and the Emir of Zazzau, His Highness, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Prof. Amupitan explained the purpose of the tour in the South-East.
“Our presence in Enugu and across the South-East zone is focused on auditing our operational readiness on the ground and evaluating field personnel preparedness down to the Registration Area (Ward) level,” he said.
He said the tour followed a series of operational tests under his leadership, including three off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States, one Federal Capital Territory Area Council election and 16 bye-elections across the country.
The Chairman noted that each of the exercises had helped the Commission to refine election logistics, early poll openings and technological deployments.
He recalled that the Commission, a few days ago in Abuja, hosted a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Engagement to mark 100 days to the first ballot of the 2027 General Election, where it reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, procedural integrity and strict adherence to its statutory schedule.
Prof. Amupitan reconfirmed the dates for the polls. The Presidential and National Assembly Elections will hold on Saturday, 16 January 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will hold on Saturday, 6 February 2027.
The Chairman told the royal fathers that the Commission could not secure peaceful elections on its own.
“While INEC manages the technical and administrative aspects of elections, the moral authority to ensure peaceful voting resides within our traditional institutions,” he said.
He accordingly requested their blessings, prayers and support in three areas.
The first, he said, is grassroots Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection, with the royal fathers mobilising citizens in all communities and Wards to collect their PVCs at designated centres, “as the PVC remains the sole instrument for accreditation.”
The second is the fight against voter apathy and vote buying, through sensitisation of communities against apathy and “the illegal practice of selling votes for short-term financial gains.”
The third is the promotion of peace and non-violence, with traditional rulers using their royal stools “to urge political parties, candidates, and youth groups to maintain decorum, avoid inflammatory rhetoric, and reject violence before, during, and after the elections.”
Prof. Amupitan said these efforts complemented the Commission’s work with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure that elections are conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.
He disclosed that the collaboration was already yielding results, with the recent arrest of the alleged kingpins behind the kidnapping of National Youth Service Corps members, who form the bulwark of the Commission’s ad hoc personnel.
“The DSS will arraign those behind these evil acts within the week,” he said.
“Under my leadership, INEC remains unshakeable in its commitment to neutrality, transparency, and procedural fairness,” he said.
He added: “Every valid vote cast by Ndi Enugu and citizens across the South-East will count and be accurately reflected in the final election results.”
Responding, the Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, His Royal Majesty Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, the Ogadagidi I of Edem-An Ogwugwu Ancient Kingdom in Nsukka Local Government Area, pledged the support of traditional rulers for the Commission ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The monarch assured the Commission that traditional rulers would encourage indigenes who registered and are yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in their communities to do so.
“We promise that we will encourage our people to collect their PVCs,” he said.
A major highlight of the visit was the presentation of kola nuts, in keeping with Igbo tradition, alongside traditional ornaments to the INEC Chairman. In return, Prof. Amupitan presented a plaque and souvenirs to the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council.
Spread the word