Our Readiness For 2027
OpenLife News reports that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has declared that the Commission’s readiness for the 2027 General Elections is anchored on empirical facts and verifiable statistics, with 98 days to the polls.
Amupitan stated this on Thursday, October 8, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, GOCOP, held in Lagos.
The conference, chaired by former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, was themed: “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities.”
In his address, the INEC Chairman congratulated GOCOP on its 10th anniversary, describing a decade of self-regulation and ethical advocacy in digital journalism as a formidable milestone of institutional resilience.
He however paid glowing tribute to the Guild’s former President and Publisher of The Eagle Online, late Mr. Dotun Oladipo, describing him as a patriot, refined media executive and courageous champion of ethical online publishing who was one of INEC’s most reliable media partners.
Trust Is Earned, Not Inherited
Speaking on the theme, Amupitan said electoral trust is fragile and cannot be manufactured through public relations.“Trust is neither an administrative inheritance nor a rhetorical concession; it is a currency earned through consistent, verifiable, and transparent execution,” he said.
Quoting American jurist Justice Benjamin Cardozo, he noted that under the Electoral Act 2026, the obligation of INEC has moved from statutory design to strict administrative fidelity.
98 Days To Polls: INEC’s Readiness Dashboard
Giving a comprehensive breakdown of preparedness, Amupitan said the Commission issued the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Elections on February 26, 2026, with 14 critical statutory activities.
With Presidential and National Assembly Elections scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, and Governorship and State Assembly Elections for February 6, 2027, he disclosed that INEC has concluded major milestones and is now on the ninth critical activity.
He said the master timetable has been integrated across 23 Headquarters Departments and Directorates, 36 State Offices and FCT, and 774 Local Government Area Offices executing grassroots deployment across over 176,000 polling units nationwide.
103 Million Voters, New PVC Collection Begins Oct 9
On voter registration, the INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission conducted a three-phase Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, in compliance with Section 10 of the Electoral Act 2026:
Phase I (Aug 25 – Dec 10, 2025): 2,611,266 new voters
Phase II (Jan 5 – Apr 17, 2026): 4,121,835 new voters
Phase III (May 11 – July 26, 2026): 3,867,997 new voters
Following public display for claims and objections and final synchronisation through the Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS, Nigeria’s National Register of Voters now stands at a historic 103 million.
Amupitan announced that processing and printing of new voter cards using the newly introduced Printable PVC technology has been completed, and nationwide PVC collection will officially commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, at LGA offices and Registration Area centers.
He appealed to GOCOP members to mobilise Nigerians for the exercise.
Technology, Logistics and Zero Tolerance For Partisanship
On technology, he listed three major upgrades:
1. Upgraded BVAS: Hardware optimisation, extended battery calibration and software hardening for instant facial and fingerprint accreditation, with nationwide audit and additional procurement underway.
2. eEC8A System: Digitisation of Form EC8A polling unit result sheets immediately after counting, cryptographically signed and transmitted simultaneously to the public view portal to eliminate alteration at collation points. Successfully tested in FCT, Ekiti and Osun off-cycle elections.
3. AI Auditing & Cyber Defence: Partnership with Google and Microsoft for automated AI data-auditing, multi-layered firewalls against cyber intrusions and DDoS attacks.
On logistics, he said early procurement and delivery of non-sensitive materials to all states has commenced, alongside acquisition of brand-new operational pick-up vehicles for difficult terrains and riverine areas.
To enforce discipline, Amupitan revealed that INEC has instituted Zonal Readiness Assessments across the six geopolitical zones, with South-West and North-West already completed, involving direct engagements with RECs, Administrative Secretaries and Electoral Officers.
“To the voter in a local ward, INEC is not the Chairman in Abuja; INEC is you,” he told field officers during the North-West assessment in Kaduna.
He warned that pursuant to Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, every official must take an oath of absolute neutrality, adding that partisanship will attract immediate dismissal and prosecution.
To boost welfare, he said the Commission operationalised the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure, CEMBSS, on January 1, 2026, and increased State Office operational overheads by 150% on July 1, 2026.
A Three-Point Pact With Online Publishers
Amupitan said while INEC has the legal mandate to conduct elections, online publishers are frontline stewards of truth in an era of AI-generated deepfakes, coordinated disinformation and clickbait economics.
“Being first with a false story is a costly failure; being accurate with a verified fact is a public service,” he cautioned.
He therefore proposed a three-point strategic pact for 2027:
A. Dedicated Digital Fact-Verification: INEC to provide real-time verification channel for GOCOP journalists to confirm field reports before publication.
B. Rigorous Editorial Self-Regulation: GOCOP to sanction members who broadcast unverified polling unit results or incendiary commentary.
C. National Voter Education Partnership: Joint amplification of PVC collection and voting procedures, including customised outreach for women, youth, Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, and hard-to-reach communities.
In his conclusion, the INEC Chairman pledged absolute neutrality: “INEC has no preferred candidate, no favored political party, and no institutional interest other than protecting the sacred and uncoerced will of the Nigerian voters.”
“Democracy is never a final achievement. It is a call to an untiring effort,” he added, quoting former US President John F. Kennedy.
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