The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that it is taking steps to deliver credible, transparent and peaceful general elections in Nigeria in 2027.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance on Friday during a meeting with an ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission led by former Sierra Leonean Vice President, Victor Foh, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan said the commission remained committed to conducting its activities impartially, stressing that its responsibility was to Nigerians. He described the 2027 elections as a significant test of Nigeria’s democratic progress since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
Providing an update on preparations, the INEC chairman disclosed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters had exceeded 103 million, while the commission had completed nine of the 14 key statutory activities outlined in its revised election timetable.
He added that three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise had been concluded, alongside the nationwide display of the Preliminary Register of Voters for public scrutiny.
Amupitan explained that the electoral exercise would require extensive deployment of personnel and technology across the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 local government areas, 8,809 registration areas and 176,846 polling units.
He also noted that INEC had begun assessing its operational readiness through visits across the six geopolitical zones.
On the use of technology, the chairman reaffirmed the commission’s plan to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint and facial recognition of voters, alongside electronic platforms for managing election results.
He identified the eEC8A electronic verification platform and the INEC Result Viewing Portal as part of the commission’s efforts to strengthen result transparency and verification.
Addressing security concerns, Amupitan said INEC was collaborating with relevant security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to ensure adequate arrangements for the polls.
He also sought ECOWAS support in deploying election observers, sharing technical knowledge and tackling challenges such as electoral misinformation, logistics and voter education.
The INEC chairman further called on the regional organisation to engage political parties, civil society groups and other stakeholders to encourage peaceful campaigns and compliance with democratic principles.
Earlier, Foh explained that the mission’s visit was part of ECOWAS’ routine assessment of electoral preparations in member countries approaching general elections.
He said the exercise was guided by provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the regional organisation’s conflict prevention framework.
According to him, the mission was intended to evaluate the preparedness of electoral stakeholders and determine areas where ECOWAS could offer technical and other forms of assistance ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
