Jane Salihu
The African Union Pre-Election Assessment Mission has identified the training of over 1.4 million ad hoc staff as a major challenge facing the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The mission also demanded clarification on INEC’s preparedness to handle the technological, logistical, security and administrative demands of the polls, particularly its electronic systems and the credibility of the voter register.
The leader of the delegation and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, raised the concerns when the mission visited the INEC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
Hassen said the mission, which is in Nigeria from September 13 to 19, was deployed to identify potential risks in the electoral process and recommend measures to prevent them from undermining the 2027 elections.
He said the AU team would assess the pre-election, election and post-election phases, with focus on the voter register, deployment of technology, logistics, funding, inclusion, security, electoral disputes and results management.
The mission, he added, was particularly concerned about the readiness of INEC’s electronic systems, including the electronic result management system, and whether the voter register had been sufficiently finalised for scrutiny by political parties and other stakeholders.
Responding on behalf of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, National Commissioner, Rhoda Gumus, said the commission was ready to work with the AU team, describing the assessment as an opportunity to strengthen preparations.
Gumus said INEC was preparing for a voter population of close to 100 million, 176,846 polling units and over 1.4 million ad hoc personnel.
She said the commission had identified four areas where it would require technical support from the AU – digital training for election personnel, combating disinformation, strengthening its Election Monitoring and Support Centre, and enhancing inclusion and gender mainstreaming.
According to her, INEC is seeking AU support to expand interactive e-learning, digital simulation and standardised ICT training for its ad hoc staff to ensure uniform procedures across polling units.
Gumus said the commission also required assistance to detect Artificial Intelligence-generated deepfakes and respond swiftly to coordinated misinformation, noting that information integrity was critical to public confidence in the elections.
She added that INEC needed specialised support to strengthen its EMSC and improve access for persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons and other under-represented groups.
The National Commissioner said recent off-cycle elections had provided an opportunity for INEC to test reforms introduced under the Electoral Act 2026, citing the August 15 Osun governorship election as an example of improved logistical and technological coordination.
She said the commission was collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission through the Continuous Voter Registration portal to verify and clean the voter register.
Gumus, however, admitted that a nationwide election on Nigeria’s scale posed significant technological, logistical and political challenges.
She assured the AU delegation that INEC would provide the necessary operational information for the assessment and maintain its independence and neutrality.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls will hold on February 6.
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