INEC Assures ECOWAS of Credible 2027 General Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of its commitment to conducting credible, transparent and peaceful general elections in Nigeria in 2027.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance on Friday in Abuja when he received a pre-election fact-finding mission from the regional organisation at the commission’s national headquarters.

Amupitan said the commission was strengthening its operational, technological and security arrangements to ensure a credible electoral process across the country.

He disclosed that Nigeria’s registered voter population had exceeded 103 million, with the commission preparing to conduct elections across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 local government areas, 8,809 registration areas and 176,846 polling units.

According to him, the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.

The INEC chairman said the commission had adopted a field-based approach to preparations, including zonal readiness assessment tours across the six geopolitical zones.

He disclosed that the commission had completed assessments in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East, while the South-South exercise would take place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Amupitan explained that the assessments provided opportunities to engage field officials, inspect logistics and infrastructure and consult traditional rulers and community leaders on preparations for the elections.

On the electoral timetable, he said INEC had completed nine of the 14 major statutory activities scheduled for the 2027 elections.

He said the commission had concluded three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and completed the physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters at registration areas nationwide.

The preliminary register, he added, had also been published on the commission’s online portal to enable Nigerians to scrutinise their details and submit claims and objections ahead of the certification of the final register on December 15, 2026.

On technological preparations, Amupitan said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.

He also identified the electronic result management systems, including the newly introduced eEC8A electronic verification platform, as part of measures to improve transparency in result management and verification through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The chairman said the commission had also secured approval for the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), moving its workforce away from the regular civil service salary structure.

He disclosed that state operational overheads had increased by 150 per cent, adding that the improved welfare package would be accompanied by strict disciplinary measures against administrative negligence, extortion and partisan conduct.

According to him, INEC has also introduced mandatory oaths of neutrality for its personnel in accordance with Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026.

On security, Amupitan said the commission was working with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Armed Forces through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

He said the commission had operationalised an intelligence-driven arrangement known as the ICCES Tentacle framework to identify and address potential threats across the country’s 176,846 polling units.

The arrangement, he explained, would protect election personnel, particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps serving as ad-hoc staff, while ensuring that persons with disabilities and other voters could access polling units without intimidation.

Amupitan also sought sustained collaboration with ECOWAS in election observation, technical exchanges and efforts to combat electoral disinformation.

He said the commission would welcome the deployment of long-term and short-term election observers, noting that their independent assessments would strengthen confidence in the electoral process.

He further identified peer learning in tackling digital disinformation, managing election logistics in difficult terrains and improving inclusive voter education as areas where ECOWAS support would be valuable.

The INEC chairman, however, stressed that credible elections could not be achieved by the electoral commission alone, urging political parties, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies to play their respective roles.

He called on political parties to uphold internal democracy and peaceful campaigns, while urging the media to tackle fake news and digital disinformation.

Amupitan assured the delegation that the commission remained impartial and had no preferred candidate or political party.

” Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation,” he said.

Earlier, the Head of the ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission, Victor Bockarie Foh, said the delegation was in Nigeria to assess INEC’s preparedness and that of other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Foh, a former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, said the mission was part of ECOWAS’ conflict prevention framework and was being undertaken in accordance with decisions of the regional bloc’s Heads of State and Government.

He said the delegation would engage political party leaders, government officials, electoral authorities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders involved in the electoral process.

The mission, he added, would also obtain relevant legal documents governing the elections and gather information on the political atmosphere, candidates and conditions under which the polls would be conducted.

Foh said the findings would help ECOWAS identify areas where the regional organisation could support INEC and other stakeholders to promote peaceful and credible elections.

A representative of the delegation described the visit as a statutory engagement conducted whenever a member state was preparing for elections.

He said the mission was particularly interested in hearing directly from INEC about its level of preparedness and identifying possible areas requiring additional support.

The delegation also sought clarification during the meeting on whether discussions should continue in the presence of television cameras or proceed privately.

Its representative explained that the mission was mindful of the need to protect sensitive information that neither the commission nor the delegation might be prepared to disclose publicly.