Wednesday 22 April, 2026

With 2027 approaching, Nigerians in London are not waiting.

On 19 April, a group of Nigerians gathered outside the UK Parliament in Westminster and called for the removal of INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan. They carried placards. They chanted. They said Nigeria's electoral system cannot be trusted and that Amupitan should resign before 2027.

Amupitan has been INEC chairman since late 2025. He replaced Mahmood Yakubu, who had held the role since 2015 and oversaw the disputed 2023 election that brought Tinubu to power. Amupitan's appointment was seen as a reset. Less than six months later, parts of the diaspora are standing outside a foreign parliament to say the reset hasn't been enough.

The 2027 election is not yet a campaign. It is a direction. But the diaspora is already organising around credibility, not candidates. They are not protesting for a party. They are protesting for a system they can trust enough to take seriously.

That is a different kind of political engagement. It's not about who wins. It's about whether winning is what it claims to be.

The people outside Parliament on Sunday know something about distance. They left Nigeria. They are still watching it. They are watching to decide whether the Nigeria of 2027 is one they want to invest in. Whether it is one worth returning to. Whether it is one they can recommend to the people they love.

That calculation doesn't start in the campaign season. It started the day the last result was announced.