2027: ‘We’ve Moved Beyond Administration to Physical Readiness Assessment’ — INEC Tells ECOWAS

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has moved beyond administrative preparations to physically assess its operational readiness across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday during a meeting with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission to Nigeria, led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President, Victor Bockarie Foh.

Amupitan said the Commission had completed visits to four geopolitical zones as part of its nationwide readiness assessment.

According to him, the exercise began in the South-West, with Lagos as the first destination, before moving to Kaduna in the North-West and Enugu in the South-East. The Commission subsequently completed its assessment of the North-East.

He said the South-South was next, while the North-Central would be the final zone covered by the exercise.

The INEC chairman explained that the visits were designed to evaluate operational preparedness, identify challenges and ensure that electoral officials understood their responsibilities ahead of the polls.

He disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 activities outlined in its election timetable, adding that the Commission was now taking its preparations to the field to assess the level of readiness across the country.

Amupitan said the engagements would allow the Commission to receive reports from states on logistics, security and other operational concerns that could affect the elections.

He cited difficult terrain and security challenges as factors that could require earlier deployment of electoral materials and personnel in some locations.

The chairman also said the meetings provided an opportunity to engage Resident Electoral Commissioners, electoral officers at the local government level and heads of departments.

He reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to professionalism, neutrality and accountability, saying the Commission was working towards delivering free, fair, credible and transparent elections in 2027.

Speaking earlier, Foh said the ECOWAS mission was in Nigeria to assess the preparedness of INEC and other electoral stakeholders.

He explained that the delegation would engage political parties, government officials, civil society organisations and other relevant institutions, while reviewing the legal framework and political environment ahead of the elections.

Foh said the mission’s findings would help ECOWAS identify areas where it could support Nigeria in promoting a peaceful and credible electoral process.

The five-day mission is part of ECOWAS’ regional efforts to support democratic governance and prevent election-related conflicts in member states.