2027: INEC Has No Preferred Candidate, Party — Amupitan

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that it has no preferred candidate or political party ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance on Friday while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja.

The delegation was led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh and is visiting Nigeria to assess preparations for the forthcoming elections.

“INEC under my watch has no candidate and no political party,” Amupitan said.

He added that the commission’s allegiance was to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate and the country’s democratic progress.

Amupitan said INEC was conducting readiness assessments across the country’s six geopolitical zones to identify operational challenges and strengthen preparations for the polls.

He disclosed that Nigeria’s voter register had surpassed 103 million, while the commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory activities outlined in its revised election timetable.

According to him, INEC had also concluded three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and completed the nationwide display of the preliminary register of voters.

On election technology, the chairman said the commission planned to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation, alongside electronic systems for managing and verifying results.

He added that INEC had introduced the eEC8A electronic verification platform to complement its result-management process and the INEC Result Viewing Portal.

Amupitan also said the commission was working with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to address potential threats and improve safety during the elections.

Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS mission, Foh said the delegation would engage electoral stakeholders and identify areas where the regional organisation could provide support.

He said the mission’s work was part of ECOWAS efforts to promote credible elections, democratic governance and regional stability.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6.