Eid-el-Kabir: INEC chairman demands sacrifice, integrity from staff

Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, the Chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has called upon the commission's staff to uphold professionalism, sacrifice, and integrity as Muslims celebrate Eid-el-Kabir. In his Eid-el-Kabir message, Amupitan congratulated Muslim staff members and characterized the festival as a time for reflecting on obedience, selflessness, and devotion.

“

As the Muslim Ummah celebrates this year’s Eid-el-Kabir, I extend my warmest felicitations to all our Muslim colleagues within the Commission.

Amupitan stated that the timeless virtues associated with Eid-el-Kabir, absolute obedience, selflessness, and supreme sacrifice, resonate deeply with the duties of election managers. He stressed that managing Nigeria's democracy is a high-stakes, round-the-clock responsibility that often requires long hours away from family and personal comfort.

“

For us as election managers, the essence of this festival resonates with a very clear, professional urgency.

The INEC chairman emphasized that despite the inherent challenges, staff must remain steadfastly committed to the constitutional and legal provisions governing the electoral process. He drew a parallel between the patriarch Abraham's unwavering obedience and the need for INEC staff to adhere strictly to constitutional guardrails, the Electoral Act, and administrative codes of conduct.

“

The institutional assignment committed to our care by the Nigerian people requires an unmatched level of personal sacrifice and steadfastness.

Furthermore, Amupitan noted that the commission is currently at a vital operational juncture. Following successful field engagements and readiness assessments in Ekiti State, INEC is now focused on critical off-cycle governorship polls while systematically preparing for the 2027 General Election. He urged that the lessons of Eid-el-Kabir, compliance, precision, and execution, should serve as the foundation for the commission's current deployment strategies.

“

Just as the patriarch Abraham demonstrated unflinching obedience to a higher call, we too must remain resolutely compliant with the constitutional guardrails, the Electoral Act, and our administrative codes of conduct.