The House of Representatives has directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to appear before its Committee on Electoral Matters within seven legislative days to explain the commission’s level of preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
The lawmakers want a comprehensive briefing on measures being put in place to prevent eligible Nigerians, particularly those living in areas affected by insecurity, from being denied the opportunity to vote.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the House Minority Whip, Mansur Soro, and Deputy Minority Leader, Abdulsamad Dasuki, during Wednesday’s plenary session.
Among the issues the committee intends to examine are Continuous Voter Registration, Permanent Voter Card (PVC) production and distribution, election logistics, deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the INEC Result Viewing Portal and the training of electoral personnel.
Lawmakers are also seeking details of the commission’s security arrangements, operational challenges and funding, including budgetary allocations, funds released and outstanding financial commitments that could affect preparations.
The motion’s sponsors expressed concern over reported difficulties at voter registration centres, including inadequate equipment, insufficient personnel, network disruptions and long waiting times.
They warned that these challenges could disproportionately affect first-time voters, students, rural residents, workers and persons with disabilities if urgent steps are not taken to address them.
The lawmakers also raised concerns about insecurity in parts of the country, questioning how INEC intends to guarantee participation in communities where violence could prevent residents from reaching polling units or disrupt election activities.
They argued that lessons from recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states should inform preparations for the nationwide polls, particularly regarding logistics, technology, security coordination and voter participation.
However, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu opposed the proposal for the INEC chairman to address the entire House during plenary, arguing that the responsibility should be handled by the Committee on Electoral Matters.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas subsequently clarified that lawmakers supported inviting the INEC chairman but agreed that the engagement should take place at committee level. The committee was also directed to publicise the meeting date so interested lawmakers could participate.
The development comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 elections, with the commission expected to address concerns surrounding voter registration, electoral technology, logistics and security.
According to the revised election timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The forthcoming meeting is expected to give lawmakers an opportunity to scrutinise INEC’s preparations and identify areas requiring urgent intervention to support credible, transparent and inclusive elections.
