The head of Nigeria’s electoral commission has declared that preparations for the 2027 general elections have officially begun, promising a “professional” and “transparent” process to restore public trust. Professor Joash Amupitan SAN, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), made the comments during a strategic tour of Akwa Ibom State, where the commission is currently overhauling its legal framework. The visit comes as Nigeria navigates the implementation of the newly enacted Electoral Act 2026, a piece of legislation aimed at modernising how Africa’s largest democracy chooses its leaders.
Redrawing the Rulebook
At the heart of the mission is a technical workshop reviewing the regulations governing political parties. Officials say the goal is to align these rules with the 2026 Act to tackle perennial issues in Nigerian politics: Curbing “Money Politics”: Implementing stricter controls on financial influence; reducing Costs: Making the electoral process more sustainable; enforcement: granting INEC stronger powers to punish parties that break the rules.”If you want to predict the future, you create it,” Prof. Amupitan told staff. “What we are doing now is beginning to create what the 2027 election should look like.”
Field Inspection and Voter Tech
Away from the boardroom, the Chairman led a delegation to a primary school in Ikot Ekpene to inspect the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.The commission is under pressure to deliver an accurate voter roll. To achieve this, Prof. Amupitan revealed that INEC is now collaborating with national data and identity agencies to “clean” the register—removing duplicate entries and the names of deceased citizens.He also issued a directive to technicians across the country: ensure that all electoral hardware, specifically the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), is fully functional and “battle-ready” well ahead of time.
Staff Welfare and Security
Managing elections in Nigeria is often a high-stakes, high-risk job. Acknowledging this, the Chairman announced plans to create a “specialised professional cadre” for INEC personnel. This new structure is expected to offer better career paths and compensation, reflecting the security risks and heavy responsibilities faced by those on the front lines of the democratic process.”Nigerians expect the Commission to deliver credible, free, and fair elections,” Prof. Amupitan said, urging staff to maintain “absolute integrity” as the countdown to the next national vote begins.
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