Jane Salihu
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, has assured Nigerians of the Commission’s preparedness to deliver credible, inclusive and transparent elections, as the country moves steadily toward the 2027 General Election.
Prof. Amupitan gave the assurance in Abuja on Wednesday, during INEC’s first quarterly consultative meetings with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Media Executives, describing the engagements as vital to strengthening collaboration with key electoral stakeholders.
He recalled that shortly after assuming office, the Commission successfully conducted the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election in November 2025, noting that the poll demonstrated INEC’s commitment to openness, accountability and strict adherence to the law, with innovations such as the deployment of sign language interpreters enhancing inclusivity.
Turning to upcoming elections, the INEC Chairman said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, would involve over 1.68 million registered voters across 2,822 polling units in the six Area Councils, with 570 candidates contesting various positions.
He disclosed that preparations for the FCT polls were at advanced stages, with non-sensitive materials already delivered, ad hoc personnel recruited and trained, and BVAS devices being configured for accreditation and result upload to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. A mock accreditation exercise, he added, would take place on February 7 in selected polling units.
Prof. Amupitan also announced that bye-elections would hold the same day in Ahoada East II and Khana II State Constituencies of Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo State Constituencies of Kano State, following vacancies arising from resignation and death of serving lawmakers.
On governorship elections, the INEC Chairman reaffirmed that the Ekiti State governorship poll would hold on June 20, 2026, while Osun State is scheduled for August 8, 2026, stressing that activities outlined in the respective timetables were progressing as planned.
Looking ahead to the 2027 General Election, Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the Commission had finalised the timetable and schedule of activities in compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act, while calling on stakeholders to support efforts to expedite ongoing amendments to the Electoral Act by the National Assembly.
He announced that INEC would soon embark on a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to further sanitise the national voters’ register, citing challenges such as duplicate registrations, inclusion of deceased persons and inaccurate records, which undermine public confidence in elections.
The INEC Chairman said the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise had recorded over 2.7 million new registrants in its first phase, with the second phase running until April 17, 2026, and warned that double registration would be detected, punished and no longer tolerated.
On political party registration, he revealed that INEC had received 171 applications from associations seeking registration, noting that only those that met constitutional and legal requirements would be approved, with successful applicants to be announced soon.
Prof. Amupitan appealed to CSOs and the media to support voter education, PVC collection in the FCT ahead of the February 10 deadline, and the promotion of peaceful campaigns free of hate speech, vote buying, misinformation and violence.
He concluded by urging the media to play a responsible role in combating misinformation and disinformation, stressing that elections are now contested not only at polling units but also in the information space, while reaffirming INEC’s openness to continued engagement with stakeholders in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy.
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