2027: INEC lists challenges ahead of polls

ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has identified security risks, localised electoral violence, vote-buying, hate speech, disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, FIMI, as major threats to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving a Pre-Election Assessment Mission, PEAM, delegation of the International Republican Institute, IRI, led by former United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Jendayi Frazier.

Amupitan said the identified threats could undermine voter confidence and pose significant challenges to the electoral process if not effectively addressed.

“Security risks, localised electoral violence, vote-buying, and the rapid proliferation of hate speech, disinformation, and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, FIMI, pose direct threats to voter confidence,” he said.

The visit came three days after the Osun State off-cycle governorship election and a day before the statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 general elections on Wednesday, August 19.

The INEC chairman said the assessment mission provided an independent perspective as the commission transitioned into full-scale preparations for the 2027 elections.

He disclosed that INEC was scaling up its operational capacity to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide during the 2027 elections.

Amupitan also said the commission was using the Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS, under the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, framework to identify and eliminate duplicate entries and maintain a clean and verified National Register of Voters.

According to him, recent off-cycle governorship elections and legislative by-elections have served as operational tests for the commission’s field logistics, security coordination and technological systems.

He said the deployment of technology had significantly reduced vulnerabilities associated with Nigeria’s previous voting processes.

“The performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, for dual biometric verification and the real-time public display of Polling Unit result sheets, Form EC8A, on the INEC Result Viewing, IReV, portal continues to demonstrate high operational reliability, achieving upload rates above 98 per cent in recent off-cycle contests,” he said.

Amupitan said the commission’s operational roadmap included voter register audits, early deployment arrangements with transport unions to ensure polling units opened by 8:30 a.m., and improved assistive devices for persons with disabilities, pregnant women and elderly voters.

On security and financial threats, he said INEC was working with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, as well as anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

He said the collaboration was aimed at enforcing campaign finance regulations, monitoring electoral offences and ensuring that violators were prosecuted.

The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission would join presidential candidates later in the day for the signing of the National Peace Committee’s Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns, aimed at promoting civility among political actors.

Reaffirming the commission’s neutrality, Amupitan assured the international delegation of INEC’s transparency and cooperation throughout the electoral process.

“As an electoral management body, 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,” he said.