INEC BEGINS FINAL 100-DAY COUNTDOWN TO 2027 ELECTION, REAFFIRMS NEUTRALITY

By: Fasasi Hammad

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reassured 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.

The Chairman of the Commission, 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, to mark 100 days to the first ballot.

Amupitan said the Commission had “moved decisively from planning into execution,” noting that election materials were already in production, its technology was undergoing rigorous quality assurance, the voter register had been finalised for public display, and its workforce was 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.

The INEC Chairman described the 100-day milestone as “not just a countdown” but “a call to action,” marking the beginning of the final phase of preparations aimed at ensuring that the election becomes a global benchmark for transparency, integrity and peaceful democratic participation.

He recalled that since assuming office on October 23, 2025, the Commission had conducted major off-cycle elections, including the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, as well as the FCT Area Council polls and several federal and state bye-elections.

According to him, reports from local and international observers showed that the elections met the benchmark for electoral integrity. He said the polls also provided an opportunity to test structural improvements, including the early deployment of ad hoc personnel and sensitive materials, agile logistics and intelligence-led security arrangements.

Amupitan said INEC released the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election on February 26, 2026, outlining 14 statutory milestones, nine of which had already been completed.

He added that the timetable had been converted into an operational plan coordinated across the Commission’s 23 headquarters departments and directorates, 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and all 774 Local Government Area offices.

On funding, the INEC Chairman acknowledged the timely release of statutory allocations by the Federal Government, saying the funds had enabled the Commission 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 smooth completion of pending activities.

On the voter register, Amupitan disclosed that the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the National Register of Voters to 103 million.

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

He further disclosed that 18 of the 22 registered political parties had submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, while the Final List of Candidates for the National Assembly was published on September 12, 2026.

The final list of candidates for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, he said, would be published on October 10.

On procurement, Amupitan said production was at an advanced stage for 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, with some already delivered. He added that procurement for ballot papers and result sheets was almost complete.

The Commission, he said, had also renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to mobilise more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the transportation of personnel and election materials.

According to him, sensitive materials will be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to the Local Government Areas 72 hours before the polls and delivered to all 8,838 Registration Area Centres by 4pm on the eve of the election. This, he said, is to ensure that polling units open at 7:30am nationwide.

On technology, the INEC Chairman announced that a six-day stress test of all configured BVAS devices would take place from October 23 to 28, 2026, followed by a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November.

He also disclosed that the Commission had established an Artificial Intelligence Division under its ICT Department, with its operations subject to mandatory human oversight.

On election security, Amupitan said INEC, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), would commence joint training for thousands of electoral security personnel.

He added that joint monitoring and undercover surveillance teams would be deployed alongside the EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to combat vote-buying, warning that offenders would face immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.

The Commission will 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.

Recruitment through the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff (INECPRES), which began on September 18, will close at midnight on November 18, 2026.

Amupitan also warned about the growing threat posed by disinformation, particularly through generative artificial intelligence, voice cloning and deepfake videos.

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

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

The Chairman also announced that INEC’s Media Accreditation Portal would become operational before the end of October and urged media organisations intending to cover the election to apply early.

At the event, stakeholders pledged their support for the Commission.

Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Alyonu Francis Idu, said the police were conducting clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to stabilise crisis-prone areas ahead of the election.

Idu said the security situation had “created pockets of fear here and there,” adding that the police were working “to ensure that within time, we’ll be able to police the various crisis points and ensure there is social harmony for the election.”

He said the force would review its pre-election activities 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,” Idu said, expressing optimism that the country would have “an election that citizens will celebrate with freedom that is attained through their democratic rights.”

The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, congratulated INEC on the recently concluded Osun governorship election, describing it as “well applauded” and an example of “what Nigerians expect to see in the general elections.”

Dantalle urged INEC officials to remain impartial and avoid taking sides with political parties or candidates.

“Nigeria belong to all of us. Today you are in INEC, tomorrow you’ll also be out,” he said, while pledging the support of political parties to “ensure that INEC succeed and Nigeria succeed.”

He similarly reminded security agencies of their constitutional responsibilities and urged them to remember that their actions during the election would be judged by history.

Dantalle also appealed to the media to verify information before publication, noting that “there are so many information in the public space that is not true.”

“This election will come and go, but Nigeria will remain,” he said, while urging INEC to engage more closely with political parties ahead of the election.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to strengthening the country’s electoral framework.

He said credible elections were a shared responsibility involving political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations and voters.

Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, urged INEC to ensure swift enforcement of constitutional and electoral provisions to prevent avoidable litigation.

The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mingot, described INEC’s responsibility as “Herculean” and called on all stakeholders to support the Commission, particularly through adequate budgetary provisions.

He disclosed that the European Union would deploy an expert electoral mission to monitor preparations for the election, the conduct of the polls and their aftermath.

Delivering the vote of thanks, the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said INEC had taken note of the contributions made by stakeholders and would “go back to work immediately to translate your recommendations into operational plans and frameworks.”

She described the engagement as “a recommitment to the Nigerian project,” stressing that the 2027 General Election “will be owned by you, by all Nigerians, not just conducted by the Commission.”