The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to conducting credible, transparent and peaceful elections in 2027, assuring the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of its neutrality and readiness ahead of the polls.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance while receiving an ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission led by former Sierra Leonean Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Declaring that INEC’s loyalty remains with the Nigerian people, Amupitan said the 2027 general elections represent a significant milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey and will have far-reaching implications for democratic stability across West Africa.
He revealed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has surpassed 103 million and disclosed that the commission has completed nine of the 14 major statutory activities outlined in its revised election timetable.
According to him, INEC has successfully conducted three phases of Continuous Voter Registration and concluded the nationwide physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters.
Providing an overview of the scale of preparations, the chairman said the commission would deploy personnel and technology across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 local government areas, 8,809 registration areas and 176,846 polling units.
Amupitan said INEC has adopted a field-based approach to evaluating its preparedness through readiness assessment tours in the country’s geopolitical zones.
On technology deployment, he reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for biometric accreditation and electronic result management.
He also highlighted the introduction of the eEC8A electronic verification platform, which will complement result verification through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The INEC chairman added that the commission is working closely with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to strengthen election security arrangements.
He called on ECOWAS to continue supporting electoral processes through the deployment of observers, technical assistance and collaboration on challenges such as electoral misinformation, logistics and voter education.
Responding, Victor Bockarie Foh said the ECOWAS mission was part of the regional body’s routine efforts to assess electoral preparedness in member states approaching general elections.
He explained that the mission aims to evaluate the readiness of electoral stakeholders and identify areas where ECOWAS can provide support to ensure successful and peaceful elections.
