The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that it has no preferred candidate or political party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance on Friday while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The delegation was led by Victor Bockarie Foh, a former Vice-President of Sierra Leone.
Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to electoral neutrality, insisting that its responsibility was to uphold the rule of law and respect the will of Nigerian voters.
“INEC under my watch has no candidate and no political party,” he said.
“Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation.”
INEC voter register surpasses 103 million
The INEC chairman disclosed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters had surpassed 103 million as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
He described the forthcoming polls as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
According to Amupitan, the commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones outlined in its revised election timetable.
He added that INEC had concluded three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and completed the nationwide physical display of the preliminary register of voters.
INEC outlines 2027 election preparations
Amupitan said the commission would deploy personnel and technological resources across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The exercise will cover 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 Registration Areas and 176,846 polling units nationwide.
He also disclosed that INEC had adopted a field-driven approach to assessing its preparedness, including zonal readiness assessment tours across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
On election technology, the chairman reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to deploying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.
He said INEC would also deploy electronic result management systems, including the eEC8A electronic verification platform, to complement result management and verification through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
INEC engages security agencies ahead of 2027 polls
On election security, Amupitan said the commission was working with relevant security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
He said the collaboration was aimed at strengthening security arrangements and ensuring a conducive environment for the conduct of the 2027 elections.
Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS delegation, Foh said the mission was in Nigeria to assess the preparedness of electoral stakeholders and identify areas where the regional organisation could provide support.
He explained that the delegation would engage political party leaders, government representatives, electoral officials, civil society organisations and security agencies.
The mission also aims to develop a broader understanding of Nigeria’s political and institutional environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
