INEC, NOA Partner to Tackle Voter Apathy Ahead of 2027 Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) have agreed to strengthen collaboration on voter education as part of efforts to tackle voter apathy, vote buying and the spread of fake news ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday while receiving the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, during a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan described voter apathy and disinformation as some of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s electoral process, saying both institutions must work together to restore public confidence in elections.

According to him, the partnership between INEC and NOA is essential to ensuring Nigerians understand not only when to vote but also why their votes matter.

“Our partnership with you on voter education is not a secondary option; it is an absolute necessity,” he said.

“We are battling a silent, dangerous enemy in our electoral ecosystem: voter apathy and deep-seated cynicism. We also see a sophisticated, orchestrated wave of fake news and disinformation designed to make the ordinary Nigerian believe their vote will not count.”

The INEC chairman said the two agencies would develop a decentralised voter education campaign that would reach Nigerians at the grassroots and address misconceptions about the electoral process.

He said the campaign would target rural communities, market women and young urban voters, with messages tailored to local languages and realities.

Amupitan maintained that improvements in Nigeria’s electoral technology had significantly reduced opportunities for ballot box snatching and manual manipulation of election results.

He cited the recent Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections held on February 21 and the June 20 off-cycle governorship election in Ekiti State as evidence that the commission’s technological reforms were yielding results.

According to him, both elections recorded over 90 per cent early opening of polling units, successful biometric accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and timely uploading of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

While describing the operational performance as encouraging, he admitted that the elections also exposed lingering voter apathy and confusion among many voters, particularly those affected by polling unit changes and voter registration transfers.

“Despite our operational precision, both the FCT and Ekiti polls revealed a persistent, deeply concerning undercurrent of voter apathy,” he said.

“This is a clear indicator that while our technology is moving forward, civic familiarity with the evolving system is lagging. It is a loud diagnostic signal that far more needs to be done in the area of intensive, deep-rooted voter education.”

Amupitan stressed that preparations for the 2027 general elections must begin immediately, noting that the presidential election is scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship elections will hold on February 6, 2027.

He called for closer cooperation between INEC’s Voter Education Department and NOA’s communication teams to mount sustained campaigns against vote buying and misinformation.

“Let us build joint campaigns against the toxic menace of vote-buying and misinformation, which threaten to contaminate our democracy,” he said.

Earlier, NOA Director-General, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, assured the electoral commission of the agency’s readiness to support nationwide voter education campaigns.

He said the agency would deploy its offices across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and all local government areas to sensitise Nigerians on the dangers of voter apathy, vote buying and fake news.

Issa-Onilu noted that NOA’s extensive grassroots presence would be leveraged to improve civic participation and promote credible elections across the country.