The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has achieved nine of the 14 statutory milestones for the 2027 general elections, following the completion of its nationwide readiness assessment.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced this in Lokoja, Kogi State, during an interactive meeting with staff in the North-Central zone, which marked the end of the commission’s tour across the six geopolitical zones.
He said the exercise was aimed at identifying operational gaps, resolving logistical challenges and preventing the disenfranchisement of eligible voters.
Amupitan said the elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Jan. 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly polls will hold on Feb. 6.
He disclosed that INEC was configuring its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including 57,000 newly acquired devices, while its electronic result management systems were undergoing audits to ensure transparent transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
The chairman said the certified register of voters would be published on Dec. 15, 2026, and warned electoral officials against partisanship, negligence and misconduct.
On security, Amupitan unveiled the ICCES Tentacle, an intelligence-led framework to strengthen coordination among security agencies at national, state and local levels. He also warned against attacks on electoral personnel, misinformation and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes.
During a visit to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers, the INEC chairman appealed to royal fathers to support peaceful elections, discourage political thuggery and encourage PVC collection.
He said the commission was decentralising PVC collection across the 774 local government areas, with collection points moved closer to voters at ward level.
Amupitan also commissioned a BVAS storage facility in Lokoja to protect the equipment from damage caused by poor storage, inadequate cooling and battery deterioration.
Reaffirming the commission’s neutrality, he declared that INEC had “no candidate” in the 2027 elections.
The Attah Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa, pledged the traditional institution’s support and urged INEC to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability.
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