INEC Chair Orders States to Close Operational Gaps Ahead of 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission has directed its administrative secretaries across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to close operational gaps, strengthen coordination and adopt unified procedures ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the directive Monday in Lagos while opening a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for administrative secretaries.

Amupitan described the workshop as an election-focused “operational boot camp” designed to test the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 polls.

He said INEC was entering the critical six-month preparation period for the elections and could no longer afford different interpretations of administrative responsibilities or divergent operational practices across states.

“We can no longer afford fragmented interpretations of administrative duties or disjointed operational practices from state to state,” Amupitan said.

The chairman said the commission would use lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State governorship election, to establish a national operational standard for the larger and more complex 2027 elections.

He said the elections showed that timely logistics, functional technology and administrative discipline could contribute to transparent and credible electoral outcomes.

However, Amupitan cautioned that the controlled environment of a single-state election was different from a nationwide poll, making it necessary to replicate successful operational practices across all 36 states and the FCT.

He described administrative secretaries as the commission’s chief technical, operational and administrative anchors at the state level.

While Resident Electoral Commissioners remain the institutional leads in the states, he said administrative secretaries are responsible for managing the daily operations of state offices, maintaining administrative continuity and overseeing processes that affect election delivery.

Earlier, the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Ayobami Salami, urged participants to use the workshop to examine existing processes, identify institutional gaps and develop practical solutions ahead of 2027.

Salami said the approval of the workshop reflected INEC’s commitment to strengthening the capacity and operational readiness of administrative secretaries.

He urged participants to share field experiences and challenges and develop solutions that could improve the management of people, resources, logistics, finance, infrastructure and administrative processes across the states.

Salami also called for stronger coordination between administrative and technical functions, improved accountability and resilient systems capable of responding to emerging operational challenges.

The workshop brings together INEC national commissioners, the commission’s secretary, South-West resident electoral commissioners, directors, administrative secretaries, development partners and other stakeholders.