Technology alone will not save Nigeria’s next election, INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan told the National Orientation Agency’s Director General Lanre Issa-Onilu during a courtesy visit in Abuja, arguing that the commission cannot build a robust democracy in isolation.
Amupitan said INEC can buy the finest accreditation machines, refine its results viewing portal to international standards and plan the most efficient logistics routes, but none of it matters if citizens remain detached, cynical or uninformed about the power of their votes, a problem he called a silent, dangerous enemy within Nigeria’s electoral ecosystem, visible in the low turnout of off cycle elections that fails to match the energy of national political conversation. That, he said, is where NOA comes in: an agency that speaks the languages of Nigeria’s communities and understands the cultural nuances shaping public opinion, a role he likened to safeguarding the values that keep both players and spectators respecting the rules of the game, while INEC merely sets up the field. He tied the partnership to NOA’s statutory mandate under the National Orientation Agency Act of 1993, calling the collaboration on voter education not a secondary option but an absolute necessity ahead of 2027.
The same preparations are playing out at the state level. In Osun, Resident Electoral Commissioner Oluwatoyin Babalola told a press briefing that the commission is fully aware of its mandate to deliver a free, fair, credible and transparent election reflecting the will of the state’s people ahead of this year’s governorship poll. She said Osun had 1,954,800 registered voters before its continuous voter registration exercise, and that preparations now include identifying flashpoints and difficult terrain in coordination with security agencies.
