INEC Begins Six-Zone Readiness Tour Ahead Of 2027 Elections
The credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 elections will depend as much on preparation before election day as on what happens at the polling units.
Against this backdrop, INEC has begun a nationwide readiness drive, with its leadership taking the assessment directly to the field.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun a six-zone readiness tour as it steps up preparations for the 2027 General Election, with Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, warning staff that the eyes of Nigerians and the international community will be on the Commission.
Amupitan gave the warning on Monday in Lagos while opening the South-West Zonal Interactive Meeting and Readiness Assessment, describing the exercise as a break from more than two decades of relying largely on headquarters directorates for zonal preparations.
He said the success of the election would ultimately be determined at the local government areas, registration centres and polling units, rather than in offices in Abuja.
The Commission is preparing for the Presidential and National Assembly elections on 16 January 2027, followed by the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on 6 February.
Amupitan identified voter apathy, public distrust, misinformation and disinformation among the major challenges facing the 2027 polls.
He urged field officers to maintain professionalism and neutrality, stressing that competent personnel remain INEC’s strongest defence against false narratives.
He disclosed that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise conducted between August 2025 and July 2026 had produced 10,772,421 new registrants, subject to biometric verification, while the national voter register is approaching 100 million.
The INEC chairman also announced plans for a real-time election readiness tracker that will enable the Commission to monitor preparations across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The tracker, to be linked to the Election Monitoring and Support Centre dashboard and Election Project Plan, is expected to provide real-time visibility on logistics, ad hoc staff training and state-level preparedness.
He said the Commission was also refining its result management systems, including the eEC8A, while working to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised because of delays in Permanent Voter Card distribution.
The South-West engagement, held in Ikeja, is the first leg of the six-zone assessment tour.
Similar engagements are expected to focus on logistics, technology, security, voter education, staff recruitment and stakeholder engagement as INEC works towards a nationwide election-readiness standard.
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