Labels: News, Politics, INEC, Election 2027 Illustration: the ECOWAS pre-election fact-finding mission's visit to INEC headquarters. (Illustrative image) (Image: Fo) The Independent National Electoral Commission has told a visiting ECOWAS delegation that it has no preferred candidate or political party ahead of the 2027 general elections, and that Nigeria's voter register has crossed 103 million. INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Friday in Abuja while receiving the regional body's Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission, as reported by Vanguard, Leadership and PRNigeria. Why is ECOWAS in Nigeria?The mission, led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone Victor Bockarie Foh and including the head of ECOWAS's Electoral Assistance Division, Serigne Mamadou Ka, is assessing electoral readiness in member states approaching general elections. The delegates stressed the exercise goes beyond auditing INEC's institutional preparedness: they want a read on the political and institutional environment around the polls, and they will consult political parties, government representatives, civil society organisations, security agencies and other stakeholders before concluding. Amupitan, for his part, described the 2027 elections as a defining moment in Nigeria's democratic journey since the return to civilian rule in 1999, saying their successful conduct would carry implications for democratic stability across West Africa. He called for deeper collaboration with ECOWAS on deploying long- and short-term election observers, sharing technical expertise and confronting electoral disinformation, logistics and inclusive voter education. How prepared is INEC for the 2027 elections?By the chairman's own accounting, nine of the fourteen major statutory milestones in the revised election timetable are complete. Three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise have been concluded, and the nationwide physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters has been done, with the register also uploaded to the display.inecnigeria.org portal so Nigerians can scrutinise their details and file claims and objections ahead of the certification of the Final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026. The scale of the exercise is the reason preparation starts this early. Amupitan said INEC will deploy personnel and technology across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 local government areas, 8,809 registration areas and 176,846 polling units. On technology, he reaffirmed plans to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for fingerprint and facial accreditation alongside electronic result management, with the new eEC8A electronic verification platform complementing result transmission through the INEC Result Viewing Portal. Does INEC favour any candidate?"No," is the commission's answer, delivered directly to a regional audience that will be watching. Amupitan declared that INEC's allegiance is to Nigerians and the democratic process, not to any party or candidate, a statement calibrated for the charge every Nigerian opposition has levelled at the commission ahead of every national poll. Security cooperation runs through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, which he said is being strengthened for the polls. The backdrop gives the neutrality assurance weight. Days earlier, INEC finished reviewing 69 candidate-list petitions, clearing former minister Isa Pantami for the New Democratic Congress while rejecting Ladi Adebutu's petition, and a court ruling stripped Governor Hope Uzodimma of his party's Imo West ticket. The commission's candidate lists and its own conduct will remain under sharp scrutiny through the 2027 cycle, and the ECOWAS visit ensures the scrutiny now has regional witnesses. FAQ Has Nigeria's voter register passed 103 million? Yes. INEC chairman Joash Amupitan told the ECOWAS mission on Friday, October 30, 2026, that the register has surpassed 103 million. Who led the ECOWAS mission? Former Sierra Leone Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh, with ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division head Serigne Mamadou Ka among the delegation. When is the final voter register due? December 15, 2026, after claims and objections on the preliminary register are processed. Sources: Vanguard ("2027: INEC has no preferred candidate, party, Amupitan", October 30, 2026); Leadership ("INEC has no candidate, no political party, Amupitan tells ECOWAS", October 31, 2026); PRNigeria ("2027 polls: INEC assures ECOWAS of neutrality as voter register exceeds 103m", October 30, 2026). |
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