A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has warned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, that Nigerians will no longer accept excuses of technical glitches during elections.
Naijaonpoint reports that George made the statement on Monday while appearing as a guest on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television.
His remarks come as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections, with expectations high for improved transparency and credibility in the electoral process.
The elder statesman urged the new INEC chairman to ensure that the mistakes recorded during the 2023 general elections are not repeated.
“Remember the last election too, when Buhari bought the necessary tools. What did we do? They said there was a glitch,” George said.
He cautioned Amupitan against what he described as intentional errors that marred the credibility of the last general elections, insisting that the electoral umpire must put measures in place to prevent any system failure.
“So let’s reverse back. Mr Amupitan, there should be no glitch in this system,” George added.
Meanwhile, barely a month ago, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged Professor Joash Amupitan, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly account for the missing or diverted ₦55.9 billion meant for the purchase of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other election materials for the 2019 general elections.
SERAP said the grave allegations are documented in the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on 9 September 2025.
SERAP also urged him to disclose the names of the contractors that reportedly collected over ₦55.9 billion for the purchase of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other election materials for the 2019 general elections, including details of the directors and shareholders as well as the contractors’ addresses.
SERAP urged him to refer these grave violations of constitutional and international standards to appropriate anticorruption agencies for prosecution, as appropriate, and to ensure the full recovery of proceeds of corruption.
In the letter dated 6 December 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said INEC must operate without corruption if the commission is to uphold Nigerians’ right to participation in their own government.
SERAP said the allegations of corruption in the supply of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other election materials directly undermine Nigerians’ right to participate in elections that are free, fair, transparent, and credible.