2027: Nigeria has opportunity to show, operate strong democracy — UK envoy

BRITISH High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Pete Vowles, has urged Nigeria to use the 2027 polls to show the world how a strong democracy should operate.

Vowles, who said he had been in Nigeria for eight weeks, spoke during a courtesy visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, national headquarters, Abuja, yesterday, which he said  was primarily to familiarise himself with INEC’s operations and the preparations for the elections.

Vowles underscored the importance of Nigeria’s democracy to its citizens, the West African sub-region and the international community, describing the forthcoming elections as an important opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate how a strong democracy could function in a large and diverse country.

“The reason I suppose that we wanted a courtesy call is perhaps an obvious one, but just the recognition of how much Nigeria’s democracy matters to Nigeria, to 240 million Nigerians, to the region and to the world.

“I guess as a foreigner in your country, recognising the importance of Nigeria’s democracy globally is such an important thing. So, I wanted to recognise that, and the opportunity to understand the operations and the preparations for Nigeria’s elections.

“I would probably say that in our conversation, we talked about how the forthcoming elections are a really important opportunity for Nigeria to showcase to the world how a strong democracy in a large, diverse country should operate,” the envoy said. 

We’ll conduct credible, inclusive elections –  INEC

Speaking, INEC National Chairman, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, assured the international community that the commission would conduct credible and inclusive polls next year. 

Amupitan noted that restoring public trust, enhancing operational efficiency and safeguarding the integrity of every ballot remained the central pillars of his administration.

Acknowledging the United Kingdom’s long-standing support through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, and development partners, Amupitan called for expanded strategic collaboration in critical areas as 2027 approaches.

He listed priority partnership areas to include election cyber-security architecture, specialised capacity building for the commission’s personnel and joint initiatives to counter artificial intelligence-driven manipulation, disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference, FIMI.

“The integrity of Nigeria’s democracy matters not only to our citizens but to the peace, stability and economic growth of the entire West African sub-region and the African continent.

“We assure you and the international community that INEC remains resolutely independent, impartial and committed to delivering a 2027 general election that meets the highest global standards,” Amupitan said.

To ensure that every registered voter exercised his or her franchise, Amupitan said INEC had launched an intensive permanent voter card, PVCs, collection drive, decentralised across all the 774 local government areas down to the ward registration level.

He also emphasised measures taken to protect candidate nominations under Section 29 of the Electoral Act 2026 through the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal, ICNP.