2027: Reps invite INEC chairman over commission’s readiness

The House of Representatives yesterday invited the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan to appear before its Committee on Electoral Matters to brief lawmakers on the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

The House asked the INEC chairman to appear within seven legislative days to provide updates on the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), election logistics, deployment of technology, personnel training, electoral security and funding.

The resolution followed an amendment to a motion on the need for a comprehensive assessment of INEC’s readiness for the elections, sponsored by Hon. Mansur Manu Soro and Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki.

While the original motion sought to invite the INEC chairman to appear before the entire House to brief lawmakers on the commission’s readiness, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, however moved for an amendment that the chairman should instead appear before its Committee on Electoral Matter.

Kalu argued that the committees of the House saddled with various responsibilities are capable and must be allowed to perform their duties.

He also said that the INEC chairman had in his recent world press conference spoken on the level of readiness of the commission for the 2027 general election.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen who presided the session also backed the position of Kalu on the need for the INEC chairman to appear before the committee on Electoral Matters instead of the entire House.

The Speaker said members of the House who are not part of the electoral committee but wish to seek clarifications from the INEC chairmen were free to join whenever the committee scheduled for the interface to ask their questions.

But Dasuki, a co-sponsor of the motion, argued that the motion seeking the INEC’s chairman to appear before the House was in view of the security challenges in some parts of the country and to know how ready the commission is to conduct elections in such places, among other concerns.

Under the resolution passed by the House, the commission is also expected to provide a detailed report on the progress of voter registration, PVC production and distribution, the readiness of election technology and logistics, and the recruitment and training of election officials.

Lawmakers further requested information on the mapping of challenging areas, budgetary appropriations, funds released to the commission, outstanding releases and the implications of any funding gaps for its preparations.

The House noted that the credibility, transparency and acceptability of the 2027 general elections would depend largely on INEC’s preparedness in voter registration, voter education, logistics, technology deployment, personnel training, security coordination and timely implementation of the election timetable.

It said the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election had provided useful lessons on election administration, technology deployment, logistics management, stakeholder engagement, security and voter participation, which should inform preparations for the nationwide polls.

The lawmakers also expressed concern over operational challenges reported at Continuous Voter Registration centres across the country, including inadequate registration equipment, limited personnel, network problems and prolonged waiting times.

According to the House, these challenges could disproportionately affect first-time voters, rural residents, persons with disabilities, students and workers seeking to register or update their voter records.

It warned that failure to address the gaps in voter registration, logistics, technology and funding promptly could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and jeopardise the peaceful conduct of the 2027 elections.

The commission is expected to brief lawmakers on its readiness, including the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as well as its electoral risk assessment strategies and lessons from the Ekiti governorship election.

The motion was referred to the Committee on Electoral Matters for further legislative action.