100 Days to 2027 Elections: INEC Vows Neutrality, Credible Ballot as Final Preparations Begin

The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has reassured Nigerians and the international community of its commitment to neutrality, operational excellence and the integrity of the ballot ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Chairman of the Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan gave the assurance on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting to mark 100 days to the first ballot, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Professor Amupitan said INEC had “moved decisively from planning into execution”, with election materials already in production, technology undergoing rigorous quality assurance, the voters’ register finalised for public display and personnel undergoing systematic training.

He said, “As we begin this 100-day sprint to the 2027 General Election, we reassure the nation and the international community of our total commitment to neutrality, operational excellence, and the sacred integrity of the ballot box.”

The INEC Chairman described the 100-day milestone as “not just a countdown” but “a call to action”, saying it marked the final phase of preparations to make the election a global benchmark for transparency, integrity and peace. He recalled that since assuming office on October 23, 2025, the Commission had conducted the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun Governorship Elections, the FCT Area Council Polls, as well as several federal and state bye-elections.

According to him, reports by local and international observers showed that the polls passed the benchmark of electoral integrity, while they also provided an opportunity to test structural improvements, including early deployment of ad-hoc staff and sensitive materials, agile logistics and intelligence-led security arrangements.

Professor Amupitan said INEC issued the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election on February 26, 2026, containing 14 statutory milestones, nine of which had been executed. He said the timetable had also been translated into an operational plan synchronised across the Commission’s 23 Headquarters Departments and Directorates, 36 State Offices, the FCT and all 774 Local Government Area offices.

On funding, the INEC Chairman acknowledged the timely release of statutory allocations by the Federal Government, which he said enabled the Commission to meet international vendor obligations, finance the production of critical election technology and upgrade infrastructure. He, however, called for the prompt release of the remaining funds to ensure seamless execution of outstanding activities.

Speaking about the voter register, Professor Amupitan disclosed that the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the National Register of Voters to 103 million. He said the register would be displayed for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, 2026, while distribution of Phase 1 Permanent Voter Cards to Local Government centres would begin on Friday, October 9.

The Chairman further disclosed that 18 of the 22 registered political parties submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, while the Final List of Candidates for the National Assembly was published on September 12, 2026. He said the final list of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates would be published on October 10, 2026.

On procurement, Professor Amupitan said production was advanced for 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, with some already delivered, while procurement for ballot papers and result sheets was nearly completed. He said INEC had renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria to mobilise over 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the movement of personnel and election materials.

According to him, sensitive materials would be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to the Local Government Areas 72 hours before the polls and would reach all 8,838 Registration Area Centres by 4:00pm on the eve of the election, to ensure that polling units open at 7:30am nationwide.

On technology, the INEC Chairman said a six-day stress-testing exercise of all configured BVAS devices had been scheduled for October 23 to 28, 2026, while a nationwide mock accreditation exercise would be held in November. He also announced the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Division within the Commission’s ICT Department, operating under mandatory human oversight.

Talking about security, Professor Amupitan said INEC, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, would commence joint training for thousands of Electoral Security Personnel. He added that joint monitoring and undercover surveillance teams would be deployed with the EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to track vote-buying, warning that violators would face immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.

The Chairman said the Commission would require 707,384 ad-hoc personnel for each of the two election days, January 16 and February 6, 2027, amounting to 1,414,768 engagements across 176,846 polling units. He said recruitment through the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff, INECPRES, opened on September 18 and would close at midnight on November 18, 2026.

Professor Amupitan also warned against disinformation, saying generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake videos had made it easier to fabricate the voices of election officials and doctored result sheets. He urged the media to establish fact-checking desks, verify information with INEC before publication and resist declaring privately collated results.

“In national elections, it is far more important to be right than to be first,” he said.

He also announced that the Commission’s Media Accreditation Portal would go live before the end of October 2026 and urged media organisations planning to cover the election to apply early.

Meanwhile, representing the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Alyonu Francis-Idu, said the police were conducting clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba States to stabilise crisis points ahead of the election. AIG Idu said the security situation had “created pockets of fear here and there”, adding that the police were working “to ensure that within time, we’ll be able to police the various crisis points and ensure there is social harmony for the election.”

He said the force would review its pre-election operations in November and report to Nigerians by the end of December.

“We must use legitimate authority, not power, to regulate the conduct of the election,” he said, expressing hope for “an election that citizens will celebrate with freedom that is attained through their democratic rights.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, congratulated INEC on the just-concluded Osun Governorship Election, describing it as “well applauded” and “what Nigerians expect to see in the general elections.” Dantalle however warned INEC officials against taking sides with any political party or candidate, saying, “Nigeria belong to all of us. Today you are in INEC, tomorrow you’ll also be out.” He pledged political parties’ support for the Commission “to ensure that INEC succeed and Nigeria succeed.”

Addressing security agencies, he reminded them of their constitutional responsibility, saying, “Today you are in uniform, tomorrow you won’t be. History will remember you for whatever role you play.”

Dantalle also urged the media to verify information before publication, noting that “there are so many information in the public space that is not true.”

“This election will come and go, but Nigeria will remain,” he said, while urging INEC to “engage more before election with the political parties.”

Delivering the vote of thanks, Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said INEC had taken note of the contributions from stakeholders and would “go back to work immediately to translate your recommendations into operational plans and frameworks.” She described the engagement as “a recommitment to the Nigerian project”, adding that the 2027 General Election “will be owned by you, by all Nigerians, not just conducted by the Commission.”