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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to neutrality, transparency and the integrity of the ballot as Nigeria enters the final 100-day countdown to the 2027 General Election.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance on Tuesday at a world press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja to mark 100 days to the first ballot.
100 DAYS TO 2027 ELECTIONS: INEC REASSURES NIGERIANS, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF COMMITMENT TO NEUTRALITY, INTEGRITY OF THE BALLOT
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reassured Nigerians and the international community of its total commitment to neutrality, operational excellence and the sacred integrity of the ballot box as the country begins the final 100-day countdown to the 2027 General Election.
The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Tuesday 6th October, 2026, at the World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting marking 100 days to the first ballot, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Prof. Amupitan said the Commission had “moved decisively from planning into execution,” noting that its materials were in production, its technology was undergoing rigorous quality assurance, its register was finalised for public display and its workforce was being systematically trained.
“As we begin this 100-day sprint to the 2027 General Election, we reassure the nation and the international community of our total commitment to neutrality, operational excellence, and the sacred integrity of the ballot box,” he said.
He described the 100-day milestone as “not just a countdown” but “a call to action,” which marks the beginning of the final phase of preparations to ensure that the election serves as a global benchmark for transparency, integrity and peace.
The INEC Chairman recalled that since he assumed leadership of the Commission on 23rd October 2025, the Commission had conducted major off-cycle elections, including the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun Governorship Elections and the FCT Area Council Polls, alongside several federal and state bye-elections.
According to him, reports submitted by local and international observers showed that every one of the polls passed the benchmark of electoral integrity. He added that the elections served as a testing ground for key structural upgrades, including early deployment of ad hoc staff and sensitive materials, agile logistics and intelligence-led security arrangements.
Prof. Amupitan said the Commission issued the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election on 26th February 2026, setting out 14 statutory milestones, of which nine had been executed. He added that the timetable had been translated into an operational plan synchronised across the Commission’s 23 Headquarters Departments and Directorates, 36 State Offices, the FCT and all 774 Local Government Area offices.
On funding, the INEC Chairman acknowledged the timely release of statutory allocations by the Federal Government, which he said had enabled the Commission to meet international vendor obligations, finance the production of critical election technology and upgrade infrastructure. He, however, called for the prompt release of the remaining funds to ensure seamless execution of outstanding activities.
On the voter register, he disclosed that the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise registered a total of 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the National Register of Voters to 103 million. The register will be displayed for public scrutiny from 9th to 15th October 2026, while distribution of Phase 1 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to Local Government centres will begin on Friday, 9th October.
He said 18 of the 22 registered political parties submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, while the Final List of Candidates for the National Assembly was published on 12th September 2026. The final list for governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates will be published on 10th October 2026.
On procurement, Prof. Amupitan said production was advanced for 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, some of which had been delivered, while procurement for the printing of ballot papers and result sheets was nearly completed.
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) October 7, 2026
Amupitan said the commission had moved from planning to implementation, with election materials in production, technology undergoing quality assurance, the voter register prepared for public display and electoral personnel undergoing training.
“As we begin this 100-day sprint to the 2027 General Election, we reassure the nation and the international community of our total commitment to neutrality, operational excellence, and the sacred integrity of the ballot box,” he said.
He described the 100-day milestone as a call to action and said the commission was working to make the 2027 elections a benchmark for transparency, integrity and peaceful democratic participation.
Since assuming office in October 2025, Amupitan said INEC had conducted the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, the FCT Area Council polls and several federal and state by-elections.
He said reports from local and international observers indicated that the elections met the required standards of electoral integrity, while also providing an opportunity to test changes such as the early deployment of ad hoc personnel and sensitive materials, improved logistics and intelligence-led security arrangements.
The INEC chairman said the commission’s revised timetable for the 2027 elections, issued on February 26, 2026, contained 14 statutory milestones, nine of which had been completed.
He added that the timetable had been converted into an operational plan covering INEC’s 23 headquarters departments and directorates, 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and its 774 local government offices.
On funding, Amupitan acknowledged the timely release of statutory allocations by the Nigerian Government, saying the funds had helped the commission meet international vendor obligations, produce critical election technology and upgrade infrastructure.
He, however, called for the release of outstanding funds to enable the commission to complete its remaining preparations without disruption.
The commission said its three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new voters, taking the National Register of Voters to 103 million.
The register is scheduled for public display from October 9 to 15, while the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards from the first phase of the exercise to local government centres is expected to begin on October 9.
Amupitan said 18 of the 22 registered political parties had submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The final list of National Assembly candidates was published on September 12, while the final lists for governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates are scheduled for publication on October 10.
On election technology, the commission said production of 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices was at an advanced stage, with some units already delivered. Procurement for ballot papers and result sheets was also nearing completion.
INEC also said it had renewed agreements with the National Union of Road Transport Workers( NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to provide more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the movement of electoral personnel and materials.
According to the commission, sensitive materials will be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to local government areas 72 hours before the polls and delivered to all 8,838 Registration Area Centres by 4pm on the eve of each election to facilitate the opening of polling units at 7:30am.
The commission plans to conduct a six-day stress test of configured BVAS devices from October 23 to 28, followed by a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November.
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had established an Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department, with human oversight required for its operations.
On election security, he said INEC, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), would organise joint training for electoral security personnel. Monitoring and undercover surveillance teams would also work with the EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to detect vote-buying.
The chairman warned that anyone involved in electoral offences would face arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC expects to recruit 707,384 ad hoc personnel for each of the two election days scheduled for January 16 and February 6, 2027, amounting to 1,414,768 engagements across 176,846 polling units.
Recruitment of ad hoc election staff began on September 18 through the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff and will close on November 18.
Amupitan also raised concerns over the growing use of artificial intelligence to spread election-related disinformation, including deepfake videos, cloned voices and fabricated result sheets.
He urged media organisations to establish fact-checking systems, verify election-related information with INEC before publication and avoid announcing results based on privately collated figures.
He stressed that accuracy should take precedence over speed in election reporting.
“In national elections, it is far more important to be right than to be first,” he said.
Stakeholders at the meeting pledged support for the commission while urging it to maintain its independence.
Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, Assistant Inspector-General of Police Alyonu Francis Idu said the police were conducting clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to address security concerns ahead of the elections.
Idu acknowledged that insecurity had created pockets of fear in some areas but said the police were working to stabilise affected locations and create conditions for peaceful elections.
The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, commended INEC’s conduct of the recently concluded Osun governorship election and urged electoral officials to remain impartial.
Dantalle also called on security agencies to uphold their constitutional responsibilities and urged the media to verify information before publication.
The Senate and House committees on Electoral Matters also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the electoral framework, with lawmakers urging INEC to enforce electoral provisions promptly and minimise avoidable litigation.
European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mingot, described INEC’s task as challenging and urged stakeholders, particularly through adequate funding, to support the commission.
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Mingot said the EU would deploy an expert electoral mission to monitor preparations, the conduct of the elections and the post-election period.
INEC Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said the commission would consider the recommendations made by stakeholders and incorporate relevant proposals into its operational plans.
She described the engagement as a renewed commitment to the Nigerian democratic process and said the 2027 election should be regarded as a national exercise involving all Nigerians, rather than an activity belonging solely to INEC.
