Protesters surround INEC chief’s vehicle outside Chatham House

Protesters surrounded Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman Joash Amupitan’s vehicle outside Chatham House in London on November 12, demanding that he address concerns about Nigeria’s voter register and calling for his resignation. The encounter followed his participation in a discussion on preparations for the 2027 elections.

Video of the confrontation showed demonstrators gathered around the vehicle as it tried to leave. They held papers and placards and shouted for Amupitan to come outside. Security personnel sought to calm the group. Protesters accused INEC of lacking impartiality and alleged irregularities in the preliminary voter register, including duplicate registrations and entries they said involved artificial-intelligence-generated photographs. Those allegations have not, in the reports of the confrontation, been established as evidence of electoral misconduct.

Amupitan had discussed INEC’s review of voter registrations on November 9. He said the commission removed 1,609,553 records, comprising 1,608,660 invalid registrations and 873 records of verified deceased people. A statement by Working People United, which condemned the protest, gave the...