INEC Concludes Nationwide Readiness Tour, Urges Traditional Rulers To Curb Electoral Violence, Misinformation
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has completed its nationwide operational readiness tour ahead of the 2027 General Election, announcing that nine of the 14 major statutory milestones in the election timetable have been executed.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Friday, November 6, 2026, in Lokoja, Kogi State, during the North Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election, which marked the conclusion of the nationwide exercise.
He said the assessment tour, which covered all six geopolitical zones, was designed to identify operational gaps, address local challenges and strengthen the Commission’s preparations to prevent administrative and logistical failures that could disenfranchise voters.
According to the Chairman, the 2027 General Election will involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units. The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
With the remaining statutory milestones requiring sustained attention, Prof. Amupitan directed that no staff member should proceed on annual leave until after the elections.
He said the Commission’s recent conduct of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, FCT Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections had provided practical opportunities to test its operational capacity ahead of the nationwide polls.
The INEC Chairman warned that partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract sanctions, stressing that staff must uphold the Oath of Neutrality provided under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026.
“You are the human bridge translating the Electoral Act 2026 into democratic reality. Know the law, understand your responsibility, maintain absolute neutrality, document every action, and protect the integrity of the ballot,” he charged.
On technological preparedness, Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the Commission was configuring its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 57,000 newly procured units. He added that electronic result management systems were undergoing audits to ensure transparent transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He also announced that Printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC Location Portal had been activated, while the preliminary register of voters had been published for public display. The certified Register of Voters is scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026.
Addressing concerns over photographs appearing on the preliminary register, he explained that the information remained subject to verification before publication of the final register.
On logistics, the Chairman said operational pick-up vehicles had been distributed to state and Local Government Area offices, while 20 Sports Utility Vehicles had been procured for Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs). Administrative Secretaries would also receive new vehicles.
He further disclosed that the Commission was at an advanced stage of implementing the newly approved Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), alongside enhanced salary, hazard and field allowances. Monthly overheads to state offices had also been increased by 150 per cent, effective July 1, 2026.
On election security, Prof. Amupitan unveiled an intelligence led coordination framework under the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), known as the “ICCES Tentacle”, designed to extend security coordination from the national headquarters to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres.
He warned that anyone threatening or attacking INEC personnel, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members or ad-hoc election workers would face the full weight of the law.
The Chairman also cautioned against fake news and digital disinformation, including AI generated deepfakes, describing staff professionalism and accurate field operations as critical safeguards against misinformation.
Earlier, on Thursday, November 5, 2026, Prof. Amupitan sought the support of traditional rulers in Kogi State to promote peaceful and credible elections during a courtesy visit to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers.
Describing the visit as a homecoming, the INEC Chairman said the Commission could not independently guarantee peaceful elections without the cooperation of community leaders.
He appealed to the royal fathers to support INEC in three critical areas: mobilising eligible voters to collect their PVCs, discouraging electoral violence and political thuggery, and combating misinformation, particularly AI generated deepfakes.
He disclosed that PVC collection was being decentralised across the 774 Local Government Areas of the country, including all 21 LGAs in Kogi State, with collection points being moved closer to citizens at ward level.
Prof. Amupitan reaffirmed the Commission’s political neutrality, assuring the people of Kogi State and the North-Central zone that INEC had no candidate in the forthcoming elections.
The delegation was received by the President and Chairman of the Council, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa, the Attah Igala. Also present were the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Muhammad, and the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman of the Okun Area Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty Oba Solomon Dele Owoniyi.
Responding on behalf of the Attah Igala, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, who is Vice President of the Council, pledged the traditional rulers’ cooperation with INEC. He urged the Chairman to remain committed to fairness, transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
As part of activities marking the visit, Prof. Amupitan commissioned a newly constructed BVAS storage facility in Lokoja.
He explained that the facility was designed to address challenges associated with improper storage and inadequate cooling of the devices, noting that dedicated storage facilities across the states would help preserve battery life, maintain optimal performance and extend the lifespan of the equipment.
He commended the quality of construction and said the Commission would work with its ICT Department to address outstanding requirements, including the installation of equipment racks.
The Chairman also congratulated the Kogi State REC and management of the state office on the initiative.
Prof. Amupitan described Kogi State as Nigeria’s strategic electoral gateway because of its geographical position and boundaries with 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He disclosed that the North-Central zone has 15,448,869 registered voters, with Kogi accounting for 1,932,654.
Other states in the zone include Benue with 2,777,727 registered voters, Plateau with 2,787,273, Niger with 2,698,344, Nasarawa with 1,899,244, Kwara with 1,698,627 and the FCT with 1,655,000.
In his welcome address, the Kogi State REC, Dr. Shehu Wahab, described the Chairman’s visit as a morale booster for staff and reaffirmed the state office’s commitment to election preparedness.
He said the office was also addressing additional responsibilities arising from the restoration of 12 previously suppressed State Constituencies and was working with security agencies to improve the perception of Kogi State as a violence prone election environment.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, said the assessment was intended to motivate staff, evaluate preparedness and identify operational and logistical challenges. She highlighted Electoral Risk Management (ERM) as an important tool for identifying potential flashpoints and stressed the role of traditional rulers in grassroots mobilisation.
Directors from INEC’s National Headquarters presented updates on voter registration, ICT, staff conduct, operations and logistics, while state representatives provided situation reports on election security, training, voter education and stakeholder engagement.
The Lokoja engagement brought INEC’s nationwide readiness tour to a close, with the Commission reaffirming its commitment to delivering the 2027 General Election in accordance with the law.
