INEC Assures Nigerians of Credible 2027 Elections as Final 100-Day Countdown Begins

INEC Assures Nigerians of Credible 2027 Elections as Final 100-Day Countdown Begins

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to neutrality, operational excellence and the integrity of the ballot as Nigeria enters the final 100-day countdown to 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 held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Amupitan said the Commission had moved from planning into the execution phase, with election materials in production, technology undergoing quality assurance, the voters’ register finalised for public display and personnel undergoing systematic training.

He described the 100-day milestone as more than a countdown, saying it marked the beginning of the final phase of preparations aimed at delivering an election that would serve as a benchmark for transparency, integrity and peaceful democratic participation.

Since assuming office on October 23, 2025, the INEC Chairman said the Commission had conducted the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, the FCT Area Council elections and several federal and state bye-elections.

According to him, reports from local and international observers showed that the elections met established benchmarks of electoral integrity, while also providing opportunities to test improvements in logistics, early deployment of personnel and sensitive materials, as well as intelligence-led security arrangements.

He disclosed that INEC’s Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election, released on February 26, 2026, contained 14 statutory milestones, nine of which had been completed.

103m Voters on National Register

Amupitan said the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the National Register of Voters to approximately 103 million.

He said the register would be displayed nationwide for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, 2026, while distribution of Phase 1 Permanent Voter Cards to Local Government centres would commence on October 9.

On political parties, the INEC Chairman said 18 of the 22 registered political parties submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, while the final list of National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12.

He added that the final list of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates would be published on October 10.

INEC Deploys 57,000 New BVAS Devices

On election technology, Amupitan disclosed that production of 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices was advanced, with some already delivered.

He said procurement of ballot papers and result sheets was also nearing completion, while a six-day stress test of configured BVAS devices would take place from October 23 to 28, followed by a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November.

The Commission, he added, had established an Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department, with mandatory human oversight.

To strengthen logistics, INEC renewed its 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 election personnel and materials.

He said sensitive materials would be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to Local Government Areas 72 hours before the polls and distributed to all 8,838 Registration Area Centres by 4 p.m. on the eve of each election.

1.4m Ad Hoc Personnel Required

Amupitan disclosed that INEC 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.

He said recruitment through the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff opened on September 18 and would close at midnight on November 18, 2026.

On election security, the Chairman said INEC, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, would commence joint training for electoral security personnel.

He added that joint monitoring and undercover surveillance teams would work with the EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to tackle vote-buying, warning that offenders would face arrest and prosecution in line with the Electoral Act 2026.

INEC Warns Against AI-Generated Disinformation

The INEC Chairman also warned against the growing threat of disinformation, particularly through generative artificial intelligence, voice cloning and deepfake videos.

He urged media organisations to establish fact-checking mechanisms, verify information with INEC before publication and avoid announcing privately collated election results.

“In national elections, it is far more important to be right than to be first,” Amupitan said.

He further announced that INEC’s Media Accreditation Portal would become operational before the end of October and encouraged media organisations intending to cover the election to apply early.

Police, Political Parties, EU Pledge Support

Representing the Inspector-General of Police, AIG Alyonu Francis Idu said the police were conducting clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to stabilise security flashpoints ahead of the election.

He said the police would review their pre-election operations in November and provide an update to Nigerians by the end of December.

Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Dr Yusuf Dantalle, commended INEC over the recently concluded Osun governorship election and urged the Commission, security agencies and other stakeholders to remain neutral and committed to credible elections.

He also appealed to the media to verify information before publication and urged INEC to strengthen engagement with political parties ahead of the polls.

Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong and Hon. Adebayo Balogun, respectively, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s electoral framework.

European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mingot, described the task before INEC as “Herculean” and urged all stakeholders to support the Commission, particularly through adequate funding.

He disclosed that the EU would deploy an expert electoral mission to monitor preparations, the conduct of the elections and the post-election period.

Delivering the vote of thanks, INEC Secretary, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said the Commission had taken note of stakeholders’ recommendations and would immediately begin translating them into operational plans.

She described the engagement as a recommitment to the Nigerian project, stressing that the 2027 General Election would belong to all Nigerians and not solely to INEC.

INEC Assures Nigerians of Credible 2027 Elections as Final 100-Day Countdown Begins