INEC Has No Candidate, No Political Party, Amupitan Tells ECOWAS

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that it has no preferred candidate or political party ahead of the 2027 general elections, assuring the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of its commitment to conducting credible, transparent and peaceful polls.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Friday while receiving the ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission, led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Victor Bockarie Foh, at the Commission’s national headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan declared that the Commission’s allegiance was solely to Nigerians and the country’s democratic process.

“INEC under my watch has no candidate and no political party. Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation,” he said.

The INEC chairman also disclosed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters had surpassed 103 million, as the Commission intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.

He said the Commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones contained in its revised timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.

According to him, INEC has concluded three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and completed the nationwide physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters.

Amupitan described the 2027 elections as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, noting that their successful conduct would have implications for democratic stability and consolidation across West Africa.

He said the Commission would deploy personnel and technological resources across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 Registration Areas and 176,846 polling units.

He added that INEC had adopted a field-driven approach to assessing its preparedness, including zonal readiness assessment tours across the country’s geopolitical zones.

On the deployment of technology, Amupitan reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation, alongside electronic result management systems.

He also highlighted the introduction of the eEC8A electronic verification platform, which he said would complement transparent result management and verification through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

On election security, the chairman said INEC was working with relevant security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to strengthen security arrangements ahead of the polls.

He called for stronger collaboration with ECOWAS in deploying long-term and short-term election observers, sharing technical expertise and addressing challenges relating to electoral disinformation, logistics and inclusive voter education.

Amupitan also urged the regional body to sustain diplomatic engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to promote peaceful campaigns and respect for democratic commitments.

Earlier, the Head of the ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission, Foh, said the visit was part of the regional body’s established practice of assessing electoral preparedness in member states approaching general elections.

Foh, who was accompanied by the Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division and Permanent Secretary of ECONEC, Serigne Mamadou Ka, said the mission was undertaken in line with Article 31 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, Article 53 of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework and relevant decisions of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.

He explained that the mission was designed to assess the preparedness of electoral stakeholders and identify areas where the ECOWAS Commission could provide support.

According to him, the delegation would engage political party leaders and coalitions, government representatives, the electoral management body, civil society organisations, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders.

The ECOWAS representatives stressed that the exercise was not limited to assessing INEC but was also aimed at gaining a broader understanding of Nigeria’s political and institutional environment ahead of the 2027 elections.