The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it plans to deploy about 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving a Pre-Election Assessment Mission (PEAM) delegation from the International Republican Institute (IRI).
Amupitan said preparations for the 2027 elections had moved into full scale following the successful conduct of the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
He described the IRI assessment mission, which began its engagement in Nigeria on August 11 and is expected to conclude on August 21, as timely, particularly with public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 elections scheduled to officially commence on Wednesday, August 19.
According to the INEC chairman, the commission has been using recent off-cycle elections and legislative by-elections as “live operational stress tests” for its electoral technology, logistics and security arrangements.
He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the real-time publication of polling unit results through the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal had achieved upload rates of more than 98 per cent during recent off-cycle elections.
Amupitan also said INEC would intensify its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) programme and audit of the voters’ register through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to identify and eliminate duplicate records.
He identified logistics optimisation and the early deployment of electoral personnel and materials as other key priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
The chairman said the commission was determined to ensure that polling units opened on time across the country, adding that INEC was strengthening its partnerships with transport unions to facilitate the movement of electoral personnel and election materials.
On inclusivity, Amupitan said the commission was expanding its framework to improve access to polling units and provide specialised assistance to persons with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers and elderly voters.
He, however, identified insecurity, electoral violence, vote-buying, hate speech, disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference as significant threats to the credibility of the 2027 electoral process.
He said INEC was collaborating with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), while also working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to enforce electoral laws and address campaign finance violations and other electoral offences.
Amupitan further disclosed that INEC would participate on Tuesday in the signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns, organised by the National Peace Committee.
He said the accord was expected to encourage political civility and responsible campaigning ahead of the 2027 elections.
The INEC chairman assured the IRI delegation of the commission’s transparency and cooperation during its current assessment mission and in preparation for the international election observation mission for the 2027 general elections.
“INEC holds no preference for any political party or candidate,” Amupitan said.
“Our sole mandate is to serve as an uncompromising, impartial umpire dedicated to delivering a free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive election that reflects the sovereign will of the Nigerian people.”
The IRI delegation is led by Ambassador Jendayi Frazier, a former United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and former US Ambassador to South Africa.
