*As INEC acquires 57,000 new BVAS machine
By Abiodun Folarin
WorldStage— The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has risen to more than 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections, following the completion of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a strategic workshop with media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission.
Amupitan said the commission had completed eight of the 14 major statutory activities on its 2027 election timetable, describing the preparations as having entered the “amber zone” as the countdown intensifies.
He said the three-phase CVR exercise attracted 10,772,421 new registrants, comprising 2,611,266 in the first phase, 4,121,835 in the second and 3,867,997 in the third phase, subject to final verification.
According to him, INEC has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup, while the preliminary display of the voters’ register for claims and objections is scheduled for October 9–15, 2026.
The chairman also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) would commence on Friday, October 9, with newly produced cards to be distributed to Local Government Area collection centres.
He said INEC had introduced printable PVC technology to reduce waiting periods for voters, particularly in cases involving lost or stolen cards.
Amupitan disclosed that the commission had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines as part of measures to strengthen election technology and improve the credibility of the 2027 polls.
He said INEC had deliberately opted to improve existing electoral technologies rather than introduce untested systems shortly before the elections.
The commission, he added, was also deploying an enhanced electronic result management system and an improved eEC8A form designed to digitise and cryptographically authenticate polling-unit results before their upload to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Amupitan further disclosed that artificial intelligence-driven systems were being deployed to detect anomalies in database traffic and strengthen cybersecurity around the electoral process.
On campaign financing and vote-buying, the INEC chairman said the commission was working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to monitor campaign spending.
He said a joint financial monitoring mechanism would track suspicious and illegal campaign expenditure, while surveillance around polling units would also be strengthened.
“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” Amupitan said, warning politicians and their agents that violations of the Electoral Act would attract arrest and prosecution.
The chairman also raised concerns over the growing use of social media to spread false information, describing malicious disinformation as “citizenship terrorism through social media.”
He urged editors and journalists to verify information before publication, warning that false reports could suppress voter turnout, create panic and ultimately undermine otherwise credible elections.
Amupitan cited instances involving old photographs, manipulated images and fabricated reports being circulated as current election-related events.
He said INEC was particularly concerned about deepfakes, manipulated audio-visual materials, coordinated fake news and premature declarations of unofficial election results.
He also warned against electoral violence, saying no political ambition was worth the loss of Nigerian lives.
According to him, INEC’s early-warning mechanism under the Inter-Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) is monitoring political violence, thuggery and inflammatory rhetoric ahead of the elections.
The commission, he added, had commenced readiness audits and early logistics planning, with audits already completed in the South-West and North-West geopolitical zones.
Amupitan said the audits covered state offices, storage facilities, security protocols and logistics, while early procurement and distribution of non-sensitive election materials had commenced.
He also disclosed that all electoral officers and temporary election staff would be required to take an oath of neutrality under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026.
He warned that INEC would maintain zero tolerance for partisanship, negligence and compromised ethical conduct among its personnel.
Earlier, NGE President, Mr Eze Anaba, called for a credible and transparent electoral process that would ensure voters, rather than the courts, determine election outcomes.
Anaba said elections were not merely about casting ballots but about building citizens’ confidence that their votes would count and that institutions responsible for conducting elections would act fairly and professionally.
He expressed concern over the increasing reliance on the courts to resolve electoral disputes, saying the process should be strong enough to reflect the choices of voters.
The workshop also featured contributions from INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna; Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Akin Akingbulu; Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade; and INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi.
They stressed the need for stronger information verification, greater transparency and closer collaboration between INEC, the media and civil society ahead of the 2027 elections.
