The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of its commitment to conducting credible, transparent and peaceful 2027 general elections, disclosing that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has surpassed 103 million.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Friday while receiving the ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission, led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Victor Bockarie Foh, at the Commission’s National Headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan described the 2027 general elections as a critical milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, noting that their successful conduct would have significant implications for democratic stability and consolidation across West Africa.
He disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones outlined in its revised timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.
According to him, the Commission has concluded three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and completed the nationwide physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters.
Providing details of the scale of the exercise, the INEC chairman said the Commission would deploy personnel and technological resources across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 Registration Areas and 176,846 polling units.
He added that INEC had adopted a field-driven approach to assessing its preparedness, including zonal readiness assessment tours across the country’s geopolitical zones.
On electoral technology, Amupitan reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to deploying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation, alongside electronic result management systems.
He also highlighted the introduction of the eEC8A electronic verification platform, which he said would complement transparent result management and verification through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
On security arrangements, the INEC chairman said the Commission was collaborating with relevant security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to strengthen security ahead of the polls.
Amupitan called for stronger collaboration with ECOWAS in deploying long-term and short-term election observers, sharing technical expertise and addressing emerging challenges, including electoral disinformation, logistics and inclusive voter education.
He also urged the regional organisation to sustain diplomatic engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to promote peaceful campaigns and respect for democratic commitments.
Speaking on the mission’s objectives, Foh said the visit was part of ECOWAS’ established practice of assessing electoral preparedness in member states approaching general elections.
Foh, alongside the Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division and Permanent Secretary of ECONEC, Serigne Mamadou Ka, explained that the mission was being undertaken in line with Article 31 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, Article 53 of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework and relevant decisions of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.
He said the mission was designed to assess the preparedness of electoral stakeholders and identify areas where the ECOWAS Commission could provide technical and other forms of support.
The delegation disclosed that its engagements would extend beyond INEC to include political party leaders and coalitions, government representatives, civil society organisations, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
It stressed that the exercise was intended to provide a broader understanding of Nigeria’s political and institutional environment ahead of the 2027 elections, rather than focus solely on the electoral commission.
Reaffirming the Commission’s neutrality, Amupitan declared that INEC under his leadership had no preferred candidate or political party.
“INEC under my watch has no candidate and no political party,” he said.
“Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation,” the INEC chairman added.
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