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… As Amupitan Says 2027 Polls 101 days Away, Warns Against Vote-buying, Violence and Disinformation
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has risen to over 103 million following the conclusion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at a Strategic Workshop for Editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with INEC.
Amupitan, who also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) would commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, urged editors and media executives to use their platforms to educate Nigerians on the collection process and encourage registered voters to collect their cards promptly.
The workshop, with the theme, “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions,” was held exactly 101 days before the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and 124 days before the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The INEC chairman said the timing of the engagement was deliberate, stressing that a credible election could not be treated as an event that happened on a single day but as a process requiring constant collaboration, transparency and a united front against threats to democratic stability.
According to him, while the Commission’s administrative, technical and operational machinery was operating at peak capacity, operational efficiency alone could not guarantee democratic stability without public trust.
“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust. That trust cannot be constructed in isolation; it requires an active, transparent, and unshakeable partnership between the electoral umpire, civil society, and the free press,” he said.
Amupitan described the media as a critical component of the democratic process, saying editors had the responsibility of serving as the bridge between electoral institutions and citizens by translating complex electoral laws and processes into understandable narratives.
He said civil society organisations, on their part, provided the external audit needed in a democracy through observation, advocacy for inclusivity and accountability.
The INEC chairman said the Commission’s responsibility was to provide a transparent, technology-driven and level playing field, with continuous improvement of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to ensure that every valid vote counted and was seen to count.
10.7m New Voters Registered
Providing an update on the Commission’s electoral preparedness, Amupitan said the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced 10,772,421 new registrations, subject to the conclusion of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification.
He said the first phase, which commenced on August 25, 2025 and ended on December 10, 2025, registered 2,611,266 voters.
The second phase, which ran from January 5 to April 17, 2026, recorded 4,121,835 registrations, while the third phase, conducted between May 11 and July 26, 2026, registered 3,867,997 voters.
He disclosed that the Commission introduced an Online Registration Portal during the third phase to remove barriers associated with distance and time.
According to him, INEC also introduced Printable PVC technology pursuant to Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, aimed at eliminating prolonged waiting periods for voters’ cards.
“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise—which captured over 10.6 million new applicants—and the completion of the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup. Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” he said.
Amupitan added that INEC had completed the processing and distribution of Phase One PVCs to all local government centres.
He therefore appealed to editors and media executives to inform citizens about collection locations and encourage registered voters to obtain their cards.
INEC Reports 2027 Readiness
The INEC chairman said the Commission had successfully executed eight of the 14 critical statutory activities contained in the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election issued on February 26, 2026, while work was advancing towards the completion of the ninth milestone.
He said the timetable had been converted into an operational execution plan synchronised across INEC’s 23 Headquarters Directorates, 36 State Offices, the Federal Capital Territory and all 774 Local Government Area offices.
Amupitan said the Commission’s preparedness was also anchored on its conduct of major off-cycle elections, including the Anambra Governorship Election, FCT Council Polls, Ekiti and Osun Governorship Polls, as well as a number of bye-elections.
He said the elections had passed what he described as the integrity test, demonstrating INEC’s commitment to legal frameworks, technical efficiency and democratic credibility.
The chairman disclosed that INEC had commenced nationwide zonal readiness assessments, with physical readiness audits and staff engagements already completed in the South-West and North-West geopolitical zones.
He said the assessments covered state office facilities, safe storage facilities, security command protocols and logistics deployment networks, while assessments in the remaining four geopolitical zones would follow.
New Vehicles, Staff Discipline
On logistics, Amupitan said the Commission had commenced early procurement and delivery of non-sensitive materials to state offices to address the perennial challenge of late arrival of polling materials.
He added that brand-new operational pick-up vehicles had been procured and distribution had commenced to state offices and LGAs nationwide.
On personnel, the INEC chairman said the Commission had adopted a zero-tolerance approach to partisanship, administrative negligence and compromised ethics.
He said electoral officers and temporary personnel were required under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 to take an oath of neutrality.
“Any official found wanting will face immediate administrative measures,” he warned.
He further disclosed that INEC had introduced the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), alongside a 150 per cent increase in state office operational overheads effective from July 1, 2026.
He said the Commission was working on the cash backing required for immediate implementation.
INEC Moves Against Vote-Buying
The INEC chairman also issued a stern warning against vote-buying and financial inducement ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the Commission was strengthening its collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to monitor illegal campaign spending.
According to him, joint financial monitoring teams would be deployed to track illegal campaign expenditure and conduct undercover surveillance at polling units nationwide.
“To the political actors and their agents: attempt to trade cash or material gifts for votes, and you will face immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026,” Amupitan warned.
He declared that elections must be determined by voters’ convictions rather than the financial strength of political candidates.
57,000 New BVAS Acquired
The INEC chairman said technology remained central to the Commission’s efforts to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
He disclosed that 57,000 new BVAS devices had been acquired, while existing devices had undergone software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration.
He said the enhanced eEC8A system would ensure that polling unit result sheets were digitised, cryptographically authenticated and uploaded directly from polling units to IReV.
Amupitan also highlighted the introduction of online voter registration and downloadable PVC technology, saying the latter had been tested during the Osun election and used to enable voters whose PVCs had been stolen before the election to exercise their voting rights.
He added that INEC was integrating artificial intelligence-driven anomaly detection tools, in partnership with international technology leaders, to monitor database traffic and protect public portals against cyber intrusions or unauthorised alterations.
Amupitan Warns Against Fake News, Deepfakes
The INEC chairman, however, expressed concern over the growing threat of disinformation to the electoral process.
He identified deepfakes, manipulated audio-visual content, coordinated fake news campaigns and premature declaration of unverified results as threats capable of inciting public unrest, threatening election officials and delegitimising valid elections.
He therefore challenged editors to strengthen fact-checking mechanisms, reject sensationalised clickbait and verify field reports with official channels before publication.
“When fake news spreads, it does not merely damage INEC’s reputation; it attacks the democratic fabric of our nation,” he said.
Amupitan urged newsrooms to prioritise factual accuracy over sensational headlines and to provide proper context when reporting electoral logistics and field developments.
He said editors had a responsibility to protect the democratic process from information disorder by ensuring that information was verified before publication.
Warning Against Violence, Hate Speech
The INEC chairman also warned political parties, candidates and campaign managers against violence, intimidation and hate speech as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) had activated an early-warning tracking framework to monitor political violence, thuggery and dangerous campaign rhetoric.
According to him, political parties and candidates implicated in inciting violence, disrupting opponents’ rallies or deploying armed thugs would face statutory sanctions and prosecution.
“Democracy thrives on the clash of ideas, not the clash of weapons or the proliferation of hate speech,” he said.
“No political office in this country is worth the blood of a single Nigerian,” Amupitan added.
INEC, Editors Forge Three-Point Partnership
To strengthen collaboration with the media ahead of the 2027 elections, the INEC chairman proposed a three-point operational compact between the Commission and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
He urged newsrooms to prioritise fact-checking and verification by establishing or strengthening digital media fact-verification desks.
He also pledged that INEC would provide editors with direct and immediate access to verify field incidents, logistical developments and security reports in real time.
The second component of the proposed partnership, he said, would focus on the safety of journalists and election responders.
Amupitan said INEC would work with ICCES to ensure that accredited journalists and media workers received unhindered access and full security protection at polling units and collation centres nationwide.
The third component would be a sustained editorial feedback framework through which the NGE leadership and INEC’s communication team would periodically review operational progress, resolve emerging newsroom concerns and maintain seamless communication through the 2027 electoral cycle.
“On our part, INEC remains an open book. We pledge to maintain a proactive relationship with the media and CSOs. We will provide timely information to prevent the vacuum that ‘fake news’ often fills. Our doors are open for verification, for critique, and for collaboration,” he said.
Amupitan said the success of Nigeria’s democratic journey depended on the quality of partnership between those who manage the vote, those who monitor it and those who report it.
He assured Nigerians that INEC had no preferred candidate or political party, insisting that the Commission’s allegiance was to the Constitution and the law.
“Our sole obligation is to the Nigerian electorate. We have no preferred candidate, no preferred political party, and no agenda other than guaranteeing a free, fair, transparent, and credible election,” the INEC chairman declared.
He called on the Nigerian Guild of Editors to work with the Commission in building a public information space driven by verified facts, civic responsibility and institutional trust.
Amupitan subsequently declared the Strategic Workshop for Editors officially open, expressing confidence that the engagement would produce candid and productive deliberations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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