Nigerian protesters confront INEC Chairman Amupitan in London

Nigerian protesters in London confronted INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan outside Chatham House on Thursday, demanding answers over irregularities in the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 elections.

Protesting Nigerians in the United Kingdom on Thursday confronted the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, outside Chatham House in London, P.M. News reports.

The placard-carrying protesters surrounded Amupitan’s vehicle as he tried to leave the venue, demanding that he come out and answer questions about irregularities in Nigeria’s voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Come outside and address us. Let him come outside and talk to us. He is the one we want,” they chorused.

Efforts by security operatives to calm them were met with shouts of: “He is the one we want. He is the Nigerian Electoral Empire. He needs to come out and tell us how he’s independent.”

The demonstrators also decried the country’s economic situation, repeatedly shouting, “People are hungry. People are hungry. People are hungry.” Some hurled insults at Amupitan, accusing him of failing to show the independence expected of the commission.

The protest comes amid controversy over INEC’s preliminary voters’ register, which reportedly contains suspected AI-generated photographs, duplicate registrations and names of deceased persons. Videos of the incident have gone viral.