Cap-gate: INEC Chairman’s London trip overshadowed by APC cap controversy

A photograph circulating online from London has triggered fresh controversy over the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after an official pictured alongside INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, at Chatham House was alleged to be wearing a cap associated with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The image, shared widely on social media, showed members of the INEC delegation arriving for a high-level dialogue on Nigeria’s 2027 elections, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) under the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

Within hours, the photograph had been reposted across X, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, with users identifying the man in the cap as one of the enablers of a failed electoral system and calling for his face to be made viral across the world.

BusinessDay has not independently verified the identity of the man in the photograph, the make of the cap, or the circumstances in which it was worn. INEC had not stated the specific allegation as at press time.

The controversy overshadowed Amupitan’s appearance inside Chatham House, where he faced pointed questions about his neutrality.

Amupitan, who assumed office in October 2025, denied owning or operating an X account allegedly used to express support for President Bola Tinubu and the APC during the 2023 general election.

“My loyalty is solely to the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act,” he told the audience, insisting his leadership of the electoral body would remain impartial.

Outside the venue, the chairman was confronted by angry Nigerian diaspora protesters who surrounded his vehicle, heckled him over alleged irregularities in the preliminary voters’ register, and demanded his resignation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The protesters accused INEC of working in favour of the ruling APC, a charge the commission has repeatedly denied.

Amupitan also used the London dialogue to announce that INEC plans a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28 to test preparations for the 2027 polls, and ruled out inaccurate uploads on the IReV portal.

But for many online critics, the policy assurances were drowned out by a single image.

“They hide their families abroad while destroying Nigeria through electoral impunity,” one viral post read, capturing the anger that has trailed the INEC delegation since the London trip. (BusinessDay)