The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reassured Nigerians and the international community of its total commitment to neutrality, operational excellence and the sacred integrity of the ballot box as the country begins the final 100-day countdown to the 2027 General Election.
The assurance was given by the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting marking 100 days to the first ballot, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Prof. Amupitan said the Commission has moved decisively from planning into execution, noting that materials were in production, technology was undergoing rigorous quality assurance, the voters’ register had been finalised for public display and the workforce was being systematically trained.
He described the 100-day milestone as not just a countdown but a call to action, which marks the beginning of the final phase of preparations to ensure that the election serves as a global benchmark for transparency, integrity and peace.
The INEC Chairman recalled that since assuming leadership on October 23, 2025, the Commission had conducted major off-cycle elections, including the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship polls and the FCT Area Council elections. He said reports by local and international observers showed that all the polls passed the benchmark of electoral integrity and served as testing ground for early deployment of ad hoc staff, agile logistics and intelligence-led security.
On the timetable, he disclosed that the revised schedule issued on February 26, 2026, contains 14 statutory milestones, nine of which have been executed. The timetable, he said, has been translated into an operational plan synchronised across 23 headquarters departments, 36 state offices, the FCT and 774 local government offices.
Prof. Amupitan acknowledged timely release of statutory allocations by the Federal Government, which enabled the Commission to meet international vendor obligations and upgrade infrastructure, while calling for prompt release of outstanding funds. He said the three phases of Continuous Voter Registration added 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the national register to 103 million, with public display scheduled for October 9 to 15 and distribution of Phase 1 PVCs to commence October 9.
He announced that 18 of 22 registered parties submitted 36 presidential candidates, the final National Assembly list was published September 12, and the governorship and State Houses of Assembly list will be published October 10. Procurement, he added, was advanced for 57,000 new BVAS devices, while printing of ballot papers and result sheets was near completion.
On logistics and technology, the Chairman said INEC renewed MoUs with NURTW, RTEAN and MWUN to mobilise over 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats, with sensitive materials moving from CBN vaults to LGAs 72 hours before polls and to all 8,838 Registration Areas by 4 p.m. on election eve for 7:30 a.m. opening. He said a six-day BVAS stress test will hold October 23 to 28, followed by a nationwide mock accreditation in November, while a new Artificial Intelligence Division has been created under mandatory human oversight.
Prof. Amupitan said the Commission will require 707,384 ad hoc personnel for each of the two election days – January 16 and February 6, 2027 – totalling 1,414,768 engagements across 176,846 polling units, with recruitment via INECPRES running from September 18 to November 18. He warned against vote-buying, disclosing that joint teams with EFCC, ICPC and NFIU will deploy for undercover surveillance, and cautioned against disinformation from generative AI, deepfakes and cloned voices.
In goodwill messages, the Police, represented by AIG Alyonu Francis Idu on behalf of IGP Tunji Disu, said clearance operations were ongoing in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba to stabilise crisis points, with a review in November and report by December. IPAC Chairman, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, commended the Osun poll and urged INEC officials and security agencies to remain neutral, while Senate Committee Chairman on Electoral Matters, Sen. Simon Lalong, and House Chairman, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, pledged legislative support and called for swift enforcement to limit litigation.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Amb. Gautier Mingot, described INEC’s task as herculean and announced an EU expert electoral mission to monitor the process, urging all actors to support the Commission. In her vote of thanks, Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said stakeholders’ recommendations would be translated into operational frameworks, noting that the 2027 election will be owned by all Nigerians, not just conducted by the Commission.
