Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), has admitted that the commission faces a significant “trust deficit” among the citizens, calling on the media to help reshape the narrative ahead of the 2027 general elections.

This was as the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, said the Commission would not wait until Election Day in 2027 before it begins to take action against vote-buying.

Amupitan made the remarks during a courtesy visit of the executive committee of the INEC Press Corps in Abuja on Wednesday. It was the first formal meeting between the commission’s leadership and the press corps executives since he was appointed to the role in 2025.

Commending journalists for their professional support, Amupitan noted that the commission remained acutely aware of the scepticism often held by the electorate. He urged the media to partner with INEC in ensuring that the transparency of the electoral process was effectively communicated to the over 200 million Nigerians.

The Chairman of the Press Corps, Segun Ojumu, who led the delegation, praised the “transparent manner” in which the INEC boss had managed the commission since he assumed office.

Ojumu described Nigerian elections as a “huge logistical challenge” that requires the collaboration of all stakeholders to succeed.

The meeting came as INEC ramps up preparations for many high-stakes elections. Nigeria is following a revised electoral roadmap following the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.

OLUKOYEDE said this on Wednesday, when the President of Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies (AANISS), Mike Ejiofor, led other executives of his association to the EFCC office in Jabi, Abuja.

The EFCC chairman, who is also an alumnus of AANISS, acknowledged that battling vote-buying fell within the commission’s mandate.

He added that EFCC had been playing a critical role in combating vote-buying with an impressive number of convictions to show for it.

With regards to the 2027 general election, he assured that the commission was not going to wait until election day to begin action.

According to him, contingent planning and intelligence gathering are crucial to tackle fraudulent actors in any electoral process.

The EFCC boss also urged AANISS members to brace up to be champions of national security.

He pointed out that a strong nexus existed between national security, financial crimes and corruption, which he said made collaboration between the EFCC and AANISS compelling.