WorldStage— The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has concluded its nationwide operational readiness assessment ahead of the 2027 General Election, disclosing that nine of the 14 major statutory milestones in the election timetable have been achieved.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff and readiness assessment for the 2027 elections, which marked the conclusion of the Commission’s nationwide tour.
Amupitan said the assessment, which covered the six geopolitical zones, was designed to identify operational weaknesses, address logistical challenges and ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised because of administrative failures.
He said the 2027 elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections would hold on February 6.
The INEC chairman said the Commission’s recent conduct of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, FCT Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections had provided valuable opportunities to test its operational capacity ahead of the general elections.
He directed staff not to proceed on annual leave until after the elections, warning that partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract sanctions under the Electoral Act 2026.
Amupitan also charged electoral officers to maintain political neutrality and professionalism, describing them as critical to translating the provisions of the Electoral Act into credible electoral outcomes.
On operational preparedness, he said INEC was configuring its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 57,000 newly procured units, while electronic result management systems were undergoing audits to ensure transparent transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He added that Printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC Location Portal had been activated, while the preliminary register of voters had been published for public scrutiny. The certified register is expected to be published on December 15, 2026.
The chairman said the Commission had also strengthened its logistics capacity through the distribution of operational pickup vehicles to state and local government offices, procurement of 20 Sports Utility Vehicles for Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), and plans to provide new vehicles for administrative secretaries.
On staff welfare, Amupitan disclosed that INEC was at an advanced stage of implementing the newly approved Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS).
He said enhanced salaries, hazard and field allowances had been approved, alongside a 150 per cent increase in monthly overhead allocations to state offices, effective July 1, 2026.
On election security, he unveiled an intelligence-led coordination framework under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), known as the “ICCES Tentacle”, designed to extend security coordination from the national headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres.
He warned that anyone who threatened, intimidated or attacked electoral personnel, including National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members engaged in election duties, would face the full weight of the law.
Amupitan also cautioned against misinformation, fake news and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, stressing that the credibility of the electoral process would depend largely on the professionalism and integrity of INEC personnel.
Describing Kogi as a strategic electoral gateway because of its boundaries with 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, he said the North-Central zone had 15,448,869 registered voters, with Kogi accounting for 1,932,654.
The other figures include Benue, 2,777,727; Plateau, 2,787,273; Niger, 2,698,344; Nasarawa, 1,899,244; Kwara, 1,698,627; and the FCT, 1,655,000.
Earlier, the Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Shehu Wahab, said the state office was intensifying preparations for the elections despite additional responsibilities arising from the restoration of 12 previously suppressed state constituencies.
He said INEC was collaborating with security agencies to address concerns about electoral violence and improve the perception of Kogi State as a peaceful electoral environment.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, said the zonal assessment was aimed at evaluating preparedness, motivating staff and identifying operational and logistical gaps.
She identified Electoral Risk Management (ERM) as an important instrument for mapping potential flashpoints and called for greater involvement of traditional rulers in grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections.
In a related development, Amupitan has appealed to traditional rulers in Kogi State to support INEC’s efforts to ensure peaceful and credible elections in 2027.
The appeal was made on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers in Lokoja, where he said the Commission could not independently guarantee peaceful elections without the cooperation of community leaders.
He urged the traditional institutions to support voter mobilisation for PVC collection, discourage electoral violence and political thuggery, and help combat misinformation, including deepfakes generated through artificial intelligence.
The INEC chairman disclosed that PVC collection was being decentralised across the 774 local government areas, including all 21 local government areas in Kogi State, with collection points being moved closer to citizens at ward level.
He assured the people that the Commission remained politically neutral, declaring that INEC had no candidate in the forthcoming elections.
The delegation was received by the President and Chairman of the Council, the Attah Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa, alongside the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Muhammad, and the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman of the Okun Area Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty, Oba Solomon Dele Owoniyi.
Responding on behalf of the Attah Igala, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland pledged the Council’s cooperation with INEC and urged the chairman to uphold fairness, transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
Also on Thursday, Amupitan commissioned a newly constructed BVAS storage facility in Lokoja, designed to address challenges associated with improper storage and inadequate cooling of the election technology devices.
He said the provision of dedicated storage facilities across states would help preserve battery life, maintain optimal performance and extend the lifespan of the devices.
The chairman commended the Kogi State REC and management of the state office for the initiative, adding that the Commission would work with its ICT Department to address outstanding requirements, including the installation of equipment racks.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded its nationwide operational readiness assessment ahead of the 2027 General Election, disclosing that nine of the 14 major statutory milestones in the election timetable have been achieved.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Friday in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff and readiness assessment for the 2027 elections, which marked the conclusion of the Commission’s nationwide tour.
Amupitan said the assessment, which covered the six geopolitical zones, was designed to identify operational weaknesses, address logistical challenges and ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised because of administrative failures.
He said the 2027 elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections would hold on February 6.
The INEC chairman said the Commission’s recent conduct of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, FCT Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections had provided valuable opportunities to test its operational capacity ahead of the general elections.
He directed staff not to proceed on annual leave until after the elections, warning that partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract sanctions under the Electoral Act 2026.
Amupitan also charged electoral officers to maintain political neutrality and professionalism, describing them as critical to translating the provisions of the Electoral Act into credible electoral outcomes.
On operational preparedness, he said INEC was configuring its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 57,000 newly procured units, while electronic result management systems were undergoing audits to ensure transparent transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He added that Printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC Location Portal had been activated, while the preliminary register of voters had been published for public scrutiny. The certified register is expected to be published on December 15, 2026.
The chairman said the Commission had also strengthened its logistics capacity through the distribution of operational pickup vehicles to state and local government offices, procurement of 20 Sports Utility Vehicles for Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), and plans to provide new vehicles for administrative secretaries.
On staff welfare, Amupitan disclosed that INEC was at an advanced stage of implementing the newly approved Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS).
He said enhanced salaries, hazard and field allowances had been approved, alongside a 150 per cent increase in monthly overhead allocations to state offices, effective July 1, 2026.
On election security, he unveiled an intelligence-led coordination framework under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), known as the “ICCES Tentacle”, designed to extend security coordination from the national headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres.
He warned that anyone who threatened, intimidated or attacked electoral personnel, including National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members engaged in election duties, would face the full weight of the law.
Amupitan also cautioned against misinformation, fake news and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, stressing that the credibility of the electoral process would depend largely on the professionalism and integrity of INEC personnel.
Describing Kogi as a strategic electoral gateway because of its boundaries with 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, he said the North-Central zone had 15,448,869 registered voters, with Kogi accounting for 1,932,654.
The other figures include Benue, 2,777,727; Plateau, 2,787,273; Niger, 2,698,344; Nasarawa, 1,899,244; Kwara, 1,698,627; and the FCT, 1,655,000.
Earlier, the Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Shehu Wahab, said the state office was intensifying preparations for the elections despite additional responsibilities arising from the restoration of 12 previously suppressed state constituencies.
He said INEC was collaborating with security agencies to address concerns about electoral violence and improve the perception of Kogi State as a peaceful electoral environment.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, said the zonal assessment was aimed at evaluating preparedness, motivating staff and identifying operational and logistical gaps.
She identified Electoral Risk Management (ERM) as an important instrument for mapping potential flashpoints and called for greater involvement of traditional rulers in grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections.
In a related development, Amupitan has appealed to traditional rulers in Kogi State to support INEC’s efforts to ensure peaceful and credible elections in 2027.
The appeal was made on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers in Lokoja, where he said the Commission could not independently guarantee peaceful elections without the cooperation of community leaders.
He urged the traditional institutions to support voter mobilisation for PVC collection, discourage electoral violence and political thuggery, and help combat misinformation, including deepfakes generated through artificial intelligence.
The INEC chairman disclosed that PVC collection was being decentralised across the 774 local government areas, including all 21 local government areas in Kogi State, with collection points being moved closer to citizens at ward level.
He assured the people that the Commission remained politically neutral, declaring that INEC had no candidate in the forthcoming elections.
The delegation was received by the President and Chairman of the Council, the Attah Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa, alongside the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Muhammad, and the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman of the Okun Area Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty, Oba Solomon Dele Owoniyi.
Responding on behalf of the Attah Igala, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland pledged the Council’s cooperation with INEC and urged the chairman to uphold fairness, transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
Also on Thursday, Amupitan commissioned a newly constructed BVAS storage facility in Lokoja, designed to address challenges associated with improper storage and inadequate cooling of the election technology devices.
He said the provision of dedicated storage facilities across states would help preserve battery life, maintain optimal performance and extend the lifespan of the devices.
The chairman commended the Kogi State REC and management of the state office for the initiative, adding that the Commission would work with its ICT Department to address outstanding requirements, including the installation of equipment racks.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded its nationwide operational readiness assessment ahead of the 2027 General Election, disclosing that nine of the 14 major statutory milestones in the election timetable have been achieved.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Friday in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff and readiness assessment for the 2027 elections, which marked the conclusion of the Commission’s nationwide tour.
Amupitan said the assessment, which covered the six geopolitical zones, was designed to identify operational weaknesses, address logistical challenges and ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised because of administrative failures.
He said the 2027 elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections would hold on February 6.
The INEC chairman said the Commission’s recent conduct of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, FCT Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections had provided valuable opportunities to test its operational capacity ahead of the general elections.
He directed staff not to proceed on annual leave until after the elections, warning that partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract sanctions under the Electoral Act 2026.
Amupitan also charged electoral officers to maintain political neutrality and professionalism, describing them as critical to translating the provisions of the Electoral Act into credible electoral outcomes.
On operational preparedness, he said INEC was configuring its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 57,000 newly procured units, while electronic result management systems were undergoing audits to ensure transparent transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He added that Printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC Location Portal had been activated, while the preliminary register of voters had been published for public scrutiny. The certified register is expected to be published on December 15, 2026.
The chairman said the Commission had also strengthened its logistics capacity through the distribution of operational pickup vehicles to state and local government offices, procurement of 20 Sports Utility Vehicles for Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), and plans to provide new vehicles for administrative secretaries.
On staff welfare, Amupitan disclosed that INEC was at an advanced stage of implementing the newly approved Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS).
He said enhanced salaries, hazard and field allowances had been approved, alongside a 150 per cent increase in monthly overhead allocations to state offices, effective July 1, 2026.
On election security, he unveiled an intelligence-led coordination framework under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), known as the “ICCES Tentacle”, designed to extend security coordination from the national headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres.
He warned that anyone who threatened, intimidated or attacked electoral personnel, including National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members engaged in election duties, would face the full weight of the law.
Amupitan also cautioned against misinformation, fake news and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, stressing that the credibility of the electoral process would depend largely on the professionalism and integrity of INEC personnel.
Describing Kogi as a strategic electoral gateway because of its boundaries with 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, he said the North-Central zone had 15,448,869 registered voters, with Kogi accounting for 1,932,654.
The other figures include Benue, 2,777,727; Plateau, 2,787,273; Niger, 2,698,344; Nasarawa, 1,899,244; Kwara, 1,698,627; and the FCT, 1,655,000.
Earlier, the Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Shehu Wahab, said the state office was intensifying preparations for the elections despite additional responsibilities arising from the restoration of 12 previously suppressed state constituencies.
He said INEC was collaborating with security agencies to address concerns about electoral violence and improve the perception of Kogi State as a peaceful electoral environment.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, said the zonal assessment was aimed at evaluating preparedness, motivating staff and identifying operational and logistical gaps.
She identified Electoral Risk Management (ERM) as an important instrument for mapping potential flashpoints and called for greater involvement of traditional rulers in grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections.
In a related development, Amupitan has appealed to traditional rulers in Kogi State to support INEC’s efforts to ensure peaceful and credible elections in 2027.
The appeal was made on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers in Lokoja, where he said the Commission could not independently guarantee peaceful elections without the cooperation of community leaders.
He urged the traditional institutions to support voter mobilisation for PVC collection, discourage electoral violence and political thuggery, and help combat misinformation, including deepfakes generated through artificial intelligence.
The INEC chairman disclosed that PVC collection was being decentralised across the 774 local government areas, including all 21 local government areas in Kogi State, with collection points being moved closer to citizens at ward level.
He assured the people that the Commission remained politically neutral, declaring that INEC had no candidate in the forthcoming elections.
The delegation was received by the President and Chairman of the Council, the Attah Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa, alongside the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Muhammad, and the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman of the Okun Area Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty, Oba Solomon Dele Owoniyi.
Responding on behalf of the Attah Igala, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland pledged the Council’s cooperation with INEC and urged the chairman to uphold fairness, transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
Also on Thursday, Amupitan commissioned a newly constructed BVAS storage facility in Lokoja, designed to address challenges associated with improper storage and inadequate cooling of the election technology devices.
He said the provision of dedicated storage facilities across states would help preserve battery life, maintain optimal performance and extend the lifespan of the devices.
The chairman commended the Kogi State REC and management of the state office for the initiative, adding that the Commission would work with its ICT Department to address outstanding requirements, including the installation of equipment racks.
