The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has disclosed that the commission has completed 10 of the 14 major activities outlined in its timetable for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Amupitan made this known in Abuja on Thursday, 15 October, during the launch of a nationwide grassroots mobilisation campaign organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to encourage participation in the forthcoming elections.
According to the INEC chairman, the commission has achieved the milestones in line with statutory deadlines and its operational plans, while continuing preparations for the nationwide electoral exercise.
He explained that INEC had digitised the nomination of candidates by political parties through its Candidate Nomination Portal. The platform is designed to ensure that candidates submitted to the commission reflect the outcomes of their respective party primaries.
The portal has processed nominations for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, as well as contenders for the National Assembly, governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had commenced physical assessments of its facilities, storage infrastructure, power arrangements and personnel across the country’s geopolitical zones.
He said the commission was strengthening its logistics systems to ensure that election materials reach polling units on time and voting begins as scheduled.
As part of its preparations, INEC has also secured additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and is upgrading its cybersecurity infrastructure to protect its networks and data transmission channels against potential threats.
The commission is equally working with security agencies to safeguard voters, electoral officials and election materials before and during the polls.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the agency would deploy community orientation and mobilisation officers across all 774 local government areas to encourage voter participation.
He explained that the campaign would address voter apathy, vote buying and electoral violence through community dialogues, radio programmes, local-language communication and digital platforms.
Issa-Onilu added that the agency would collaborate with INEC, security agencies, political parties, civil society organisations and community leaders to promote peaceful elections and provide Nigerians with credible electoral information.
The latest disclosure comes as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections, with electoral authorities and other stakeholders under pressure to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible process.
