The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians and the international community of its commitment to neutrality, operational excellence and the integrity of the ballot as the country enters the final 100-day countdown to the 2027 General Election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Tuesday at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting in Abuja to mark 100 days to the first ballot.
Amupitan said the Commission had moved from planning to full-scale execution, with election materials in production, technology undergoing quality assurance, the voter register ready for public display and personnel being systematically trained.
“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 milestone as more than a countdown, saying it represented a call to action and the beginning of the final phase of preparations for an election capable of setting a global benchmark for transparency, integrity and peaceful democratic competition.
The INEC chairman said that since assuming office in October 2025, the Commission had conducted the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, FCT Area Council elections and several federal and state bye-elections.
According to him, reports from local and international observers indicated that the elections met the Commission’s benchmark for electoral integrity. He said the polls also provided opportunities to test structural improvements, including early deployment of personnel and sensitive materials, more agile logistics and intelligence-led security arrangements.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC had issued the revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 election on February 26, 2026, containing 14 statutory milestones, nine of which had already been completed.
He said 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 all 774 local government areas.
On funding, the chairman commended the Federal Government for the timely release of statutory allocations, which he said had enabled INEC to meet international vendor obligations, finance critical election technology and upgrade infrastructure.
He, however, appealed for the prompt release of outstanding funds to facilitate the seamless completion of remaining activities.
The INEC chairman said the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the National Register of Voters to about 103 million.
He said the register would be displayed nationwide from October 9 to 15 for public scrutiny, while distribution of Phase One Permanent Voter Cards to local government collection centres would commence on October 9.
Amupitan disclosed that 18 of the 22 registered political parties had submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, while the final list of National Assembly candidates was published on September 12.
He said the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates would be published on October 10.
On election technology, the chairman said production of 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices was at an advanced stage, with some already delivered, while procurement for ballot papers and result sheets was nearing completion.
He said INEC had renewed agreements 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 transportation 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.
He said the arrangement was designed to ensure that polling units open at 7:30am nationwide.
The Commission, he added, would conduct a six-day stress test of all configured BVAS devices from October 23 to 28, followed by a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November.
Amupitan 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 INEC, 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 work with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to combat vote-buying.
The chairman warned that offenders would face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC will require 707,384 ad hoc personnel for each of the two election days—January 16 and February 6, 2027—representing 1,414,768 engagements 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.
Amupitan also raised concerns over the growing threat posed by disinformation, generative artificial intelligence, voice cloning and deepfake technology, warning that fabricated voices of election officials and manipulated result sheets could undermine public confidence in the polls.
He urged media organisations to establish fact-checking mechanisms, 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 further announced that INEC’s Media Accreditation Portal would become operational before the end of October and urged media organisations intending to cover the elections to apply early.
Stakeholders at the meeting pledged support for the Commission while emphasising the need for impartiality and collective responsibility.
Representing the Inspector-General of Police, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Alyonu Francis Idu, said the Nigeria Police Force was conducting clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to stabilise areas affected by insecurity ahead of the elections.
Idu said the security situation had created “pockets of fear” in some areas, but assured that the police were working to stabilise the affected communities and create conditions for peaceful elections.
He said the police would review their 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.
The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Dr Yusuf Dantalle, commended INEC over the recently concluded Osun governorship election, describing it as an example of what Nigerians expect from the 2027 general elections.
Dantalle, however, cautioned INEC officials against partisan conduct and urged security agencies to remain faithful to their constitutional responsibilities.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. Today you are in INEC, tomorrow you’ll also be out,” he said, warning that history would judge the conduct of officials involved in the election process.
He also urged the media to verify information before publication and called on INEC to intensify engagement with political parties ahead of the polls.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s electoral framework, saying credible elections remained a shared responsibility involving INEC, political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society and voters.
His counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, urged INEC to enforce constitutional and electoral provisions promptly to minimise avoidable litigation.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mingot, described INEC’s responsibility as “Herculean” and called on all stakeholders, particularly government, to facilitate the Commission’s work, including through adequate funding.
Mingot disclosed that the European Union would deploy an expert electoral mission to monitor the pre-election period, conduct of the polls and post-election developments.
In her vote of thanks, the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said INEC would immediately begin translating stakeholders’ recommendations into operational plans and frameworks.
She described the engagement as a recommitment to the Nigerian democratic project, stressing that the 2027 election would ultimately belong to all Nigerians and not INEC alone.
