INEC assures Nigerians of firm readiness for the 2027 polls despite delays in the amended Electoral Act

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday assured Nigerians of its firm readiness to conduct the 2027 General Election despite delays in the passage of the amended Electoral Act by the National Assembly.

Also read: Senate postpones consideration of Electoral Act Bill following calls for INEC removal

The assurance was given by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, at the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with Civil Society Organisations held in Abuja.

Professor Amupitan said the commission had already finalised its election timetable and schedule of activities in line with existing legal provisions, stressing that INEC was compelled to operate within the framework of the subsisting law.

He explained that although the commission had submitted its recommendations to the National Assembly, the timing and content of the amended Act could still affect aspects of the election schedule once passed.

While outlining ongoing preparations, the INEC chairman called on civil society organisations to intensify mobilisation efforts in the Federal Capital Territory to ensure eligible voters collect their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the Area Council elections scheduled for February 21.

He warned that the ongoing PVC distribution in the FCT would end on February 10, urging stakeholders to prevent voter disenfranchisement through public sensitisation.

Professor Amupitan also appealed to civil society groups to monitor political parties’ conduct during campaigns and promote peaceful participation, cautioning against hate speech, vote buying, misinformation and electoral violence.

Providing operational details, he said the FCT Area Council elections would involve over 1.6 million registered voters across six area councils, with 570 candidates contesting various positions.

He disclosed that non-sensitive election materials had been delivered to area council offices, ad hoc staff recruitment and training completed, and BVAS devices were being configured for accreditation and result uploads to the IReV portal.

According to him, sensitive materials would be delivered a day before the polls, while a mock accreditation exercise would be conducted on February 7 across selected polling units.

Professor Amupitan further confirmed that bye-elections would hold the same day in Rivers and Kano states, involving more than 640,000 registered voters across four state constituencies.

Also read: INEC PVC distribution begins ahead of FCT polls

Looking ahead to the INEC 2027 polls, he urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the Electoral Act amendment and announced plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to strengthen the integrity of the voters’ register.

He said a credible voters’ register remained the bedrock of free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria.