2027: INEC Chairman Charges Staff to ‘Confront Election Frontally’
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has charged electoral officers and heads of departments in the Southwest to approach the 2027 General Election with greater commitment, discipline and preparedness.
Amupitan gave the charge in Lagos while addressing Electoral Officers (EOs), Heads of Department (HODs), senior administrative staff and other INEC officials from the six Southwest states at the Commission’s Southwest Zonal Interaction Meeting and Readiness Assessment.
The meeting, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, marked the first leg of a six-zone national tour aimed at assessing INEC’s operational preparedness ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the Commission’s timetable, the Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, February 6, 2027.
Declaring that “the 2027 General Election is here,” Amupitan urged officials to confront the electoral challenges “frontally” and apply lessons learnt from recent off-cycle elections.
He cited the Anambra State Governorship Election, FCT Area Council Election and the recent Osun State Governorship Election as important milestones that should help INEC identify weaknesses, improve its processes and strengthen its capacity ahead of the 2027 polls.
“Those off-cycle elections have provided us with the mirror through which we can see into the 2027 elections,” he said.
The INEC chairman explained that his decision to personally engage officials at the state and grassroots levels was deliberate, stressing that the success of elections was ultimately determined by what happened in the field.
“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is indeed decided in the field,” Amupitan said.
He therefore urged the EOs and HODs to use the interaction to openly present the challenges they face, identify operational gaps and suggest practical solutions ahead of the general election.
Amupitan emphasised the need for continuous learning and improvement, noting that challenges experienced during one election should serve as lessons for improving subsequent electoral processes.
He also commended INEC officials who participated in the recent Osun State Governorship Election, saying the commendation received by the Commission was largely a result of the efforts of personnel who worked throughout the electoral period to protect the integrity of the ballot and ensure that votes counted.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said electoral credibility was built long before Election Day through early preparation, effective coordination, competent personnel and continuous assessment.
Salami said the readiness assessment should go beyond mere checklists and critically examine INEC’s human resources, logistics, infrastructure, technology, electoral materials, security arrangements and stakeholder engagement.
He urged electoral officers and heads of departments across the Southwest to speak frankly about their operational realities, identify weaknesses early and share best practices that could strengthen preparations for the 2027 elections.
The Lagos engagement is the first of the Commission’s planned interactions with officials across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election.
