By Ayomide Otitoju
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to neutrality, operational excellence and the integrity of the ballot ahead of the 2027 General Election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at a world press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting marking 100 days to the first ballot at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Amupitan said the Commission had moved from planning to execution, with election materials in production, technology undergoing quality assurance, the voter register ready for public display and electoral personnel undergoing training.
“As we begin this 100-day sprint to the 2027 General Election, we reassure the nation and the international community of our total commitment to neutrality, operational excellence, and the sacred integrity of the ballot box,” he said.
He described the 100-day milestone as a call to action and the beginning of the final phase of preparations aimed at delivering an election that would serve as a benchmark for transparency, integrity and peace.
The INEC chairman said that since he assumed office in October 2025, the Commission had conducted the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, the FCT Area Council polls and several federal and state bye-elections.
According to him, reports from local and international observers indicated that the elections met the benchmark of electoral integrity.
He said the polls also provided an opportunity to test key improvements, including the early deployment of ad hoc personnel and sensitive materials, improved logistics and intelligence-led security arrangements.
Amupitan said INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 General Election, released on February 26, 2026, contained 14 statutory milestones, nine of which had been completed.
He added that the timetable had been translated into an operational plan covering the Commission’s 23 headquarters departments and directorates, 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and 774 local government offices.
On funding, the INEC chairman acknowledged the timely release of statutory allocations by the Federal Government, saying the funds had enabled the Commission to meet international vendor obligations, finance critical election technology and upgrade infrastructure.
He, however, called for the prompt release of outstanding funds to facilitate the completion of remaining activities.
On voter registration, Amupitan said the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the National Register of Voters to 103 million.
He said the register would be displayed for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, while distribution of Phase One Permanent Voter Cards to local government centres would commence on October 9.
He disclosed that 18 of the 22 registered political parties submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, while the final list of National Assembly candidates was published on September 12.
The final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates, he added, would be published on October 10.
On procurement, Amupitan said production of 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices was at an advanced stage, with some already delivered.
He added that procurement for the printing of ballot papers and result sheets was nearing completion.
The Commission, he said, had renewed its memorandum of understanding with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria to mobilise more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the movement of personnel and election materials.
According to him, sensitive materials would be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to local government areas 72 hours before the polls and delivered to all 8,838 Registration Area Centres by 4pm on the eve of election day.
The arrangement, he said, was designed to ensure that polling units open at 7:30am nationwide.
On technology, Amupitan said a six-day stress test of all configured BVAS devices would be conducted from October 23 to 28, while a nationwide mock accreditation exercise would take place in November.
He also disclosed that INEC had established an Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department, with its operations subject to mandatory human oversight.
On security, he said the Commission, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, would commence joint training for thousands of electoral security personnel.
He added that joint monitoring and undercover surveillance teams would be deployed with the EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to track vote-buying.
The INEC chairman warned that offenders would face arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.
He said the Commission would require 707,384 ad hoc personnel for each of the two election days, January 16 and February 6, 2027, bringing the total number of engagements to 1,414,768 across 176,846 polling units.
Recruitment through the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff opened on September 18 and will close at midnight on November 18, 2026.
Amupitan also warned against the growing threat of election disinformation, particularly through generative artificial intelligence, voice cloning and deepfake videos.
He urged media organisations to establish fact-checking desks, verify election-related information with INEC before publication and refrain from announcing privately collated results.
“In national elections, it is far more important to be right than to be first,” he said.
He also announced that INEC’s Media Accreditation Portal would become operational before the end of October and urged media organisations planning to cover the election to apply early.
Speaking on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Alyonu Francis Idu, said the police were conducting clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to stabilise crisis points ahead of the election.
Idu said the security situation had created “pockets of fear” but assured Nigerians that the police were working to restore social harmony in affected areas.
He said the force would review its pre-election operations in November and brief Nigerians on the outcome by the end of December.
“We must use legitimate authority, not power, to regulate the conduct of the election,” he said, expressing hope that the polls would be an election citizens would celebrate through the exercise of their democratic rights.
The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Dr Yusuf Dantalle, commended INEC over the recently concluded Osun governorship election, describing it as “well applauded” and an example of what Nigerians expect in the general elections.
Dantalle urged INEC officials to remain impartial and appealed to political parties to support the Commission in delivering credible elections.
He also reminded security agencies of their constitutional responsibilities and urged the media to verify information before publication.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to strengthening the country’s electoral framework.
He said credible elections were a shared responsibility involving political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society and voters.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, urged INEC to ensure swift enforcement of constitutional and electoral provisions to prevent avoidable litigation.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mingot, described INEC’s task as “Herculean” and called on stakeholders to support the Commission, particularly through adequate funding.
He disclosed that the EU would deploy an expert electoral mission to monitor preparations for the election, the conduct of the polls and the post-election period.
In her vote of thanks, the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said INEC would consider stakeholders’ recommendations and translate them into operational plans and frameworks.
She described the engagement as a recommitment to the Nigerian project, stressing that the 2027 General Election would be owned by all Nigerians and not solely conducted by INEC.
