100 DAYS TO 2027 ELECTIONS: INEC REASSURES NIGERIANS, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF COMMITMENT TO NEUTRALITY, INTEGRITY OF THE BALLOT

100 DAYS TO 2027 ELECTIONS: INEC REASSURES NIGERIANS, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF COMMITMENT TO NEUTRALITY, INTEGRITY OF THE BALLOT

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 Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Tuesday 6th October, 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 had “moved decisively from planning into execution,” noting that its materials were in production, its technology was undergoing rigorous quality assurance, its register was finalised for public display and its workforce was being systematically trained.

“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,” he said.

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 he assumed leadership of the Commission on 23rd October 2025, the Commission had conducted major off-cycle elections, including the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun Governorship Elections and the FCT Area Council Polls, alongside several federal and state bye-elections.

According to him, reports submitted by local and international observers showed that every one of the polls passed the benchmark of electoral integrity. He added that the elections served as a testing ground for key structural upgrades, including early deployment of ad hoc staff and sensitive materials, agile logistics and intelligence-led security arrangements.

Prof. Amupitan said the Commission issued the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election on 26th February 2026, setting out 14 statutory milestones, of which nine had been executed. He added that the timetable had 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 had 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.

On the voter register, he disclosed that the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise registered a total of 10,772,421 new voters, bringing the National Register of Voters to 103 million. The register will be displayed for public scrutiny from 9th to 15th October 2026, while distribution of Phase 1 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to Local Government centres will begin on Friday, 9th October.

He said 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 12th September 2026. The final list for governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates will be published on 10th October 2026.

On procurement, Prof. Amupitan said production was advanced for 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, some of which had been delivered, while procurement for the printing of ballot papers and result sheets was nearly completed.