2027: INEC chairman warns staff against misconduct

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned electoral officers against partisanship, negligence and ethical breaches ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan issued the warning on Monday in Lagos at the South-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff on the Commission’s readiness for the 2027 polls.

He said INEC would sanction officers who compromise the integrity of the electoral process, stressing that institutional neutrality remained non-negotiable.

“Let me be unequivocally clear about the fact that partisan leaning, administrative negligence, or compromised ethics will not be tolerated.

“We will enforce our code of conduct, and every officer must understand that the protection of INEC’s institutional integrity is non-negotiable,” he said.

Amupitan reminded staff that electoral officers must remain neutral and administer elections without favoring any candidate or political party.

He said the Electoral Act reinforced this obligation by requiring election officials to swear an oath of loyalty and neutrality.

“When you take that oath, you are committing yourself to administer an election in which you have no preferred candidate and no preferred political party,” he said.

The INEC chairman urged officers to focus on what the law requires rather than who might benefit from their decisions.

He also cautioned staff against using informal solutions where the law or INEC guidelines already provide procedures for addressing electoral challenges.

“Where the law provides a procedure, follow the procedure. Where the Commission has issued a lawful guideline or directive, follow it.

“Where an operational difficulty arises, escalate it through the appropriate institutional channel,” he said.

Amupitan said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend largely on how effectively electoral officers implement the law.

He noted that neither a well-drafted Electoral Act, sophisticated technology nor an independent electoral commission could guarantee credible elections without disciplined implementation.

He therefore urged staff to know the law, understand their responsibilities, remain neutral, document their actions and protect the integrity of the electoral process.

The chairman said INEC had commenced preparations for the 2027 elections, focusing on technology, voter registration, logistics, staff training and institutional integrity.

He disclosed that 10,772,421 voters had been registered during the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, subject to completion of the Automated Biometric Identification System verification.

Amupitan also said the Commission introduced printable Permanent Voter Cards in line with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act during the recent Osun governorship election.

“Our goal is simple: no Nigerian who is eligible to vote should be disenfranchised by logistics. Every eligible citizen who registers must get their Card without friction,” he said.

He said INEC would review its voter registration processes and address bottlenecks affecting PVC distribution at the local government level.

The chairman added that the Commission was refining its result management systems to make the movement of results from polling units to the national collation center visible and verifiable.

He said the recently introduced eEC8A was designed to strengthen the verification process.

On logistics, Amupitan identified the movement and early deployment of sensitive materials, security coordination, vendor management, and training of ad hoc personnel as areas requiring greater attention.

“We are applying a ‘Zero-Failure’ protocol. We are also working on ICT basic lesson tools to supplement our face-to-face training of Ad-Hoc Staff,” he said.

He urged Resident Electoral Commissioners and Electoral Officers across the South-West to provide candid assessments of their operational challenges ahead of the 2027 polls.

Amupitan said recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun governorship election, demonstrated what INEC could achieve when operational discipline, technical competence and administrative integrity worked together.

He, however, warned staff against becoming complacent.

“If Osun showed Nigerians what we can do, 2027 must prove to the world that excellence is our permanent culture, not an occasional coincidence,” he said.

He added that the success of the 2027 election would be measured by the quality of the electoral process rather than the number of votes cast.

“I demand from you nothing less than absolute neutrality and professional excellence,” he said.

Earlier, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, urged South-West states to critically assess their readiness and close operational gaps before the 2027 election.

Salami said credible elections were built long before Election Day through early preparation, competent personnel, effective coordination and timely resolution of challenges.

He said the meeting offered field officers an opportunity to present the realities, challenges and opportunities in their respective states.

“Are we sufficiently prepared for the demands of 2027, and what more must we do to ensure that we are?” he asked.

Salami said the South-West’s diverse electoral environment required states to assess demographic, geographical, logistical, technological, security and stakeholder-related challenges.

He urged officials to go beyond checklists and test whether their systems could withstand the pressures of Election Day.

The REC identified human resources, logistics, infrastructure, technology, electoral materials, security and engagement with political parties, civil society, the media and voters as key areas requiring continuous assessment.

He also urged INEC officials to turn lessons from previous elections into institutional improvements and ensure that state situation reports clearly identify risks, gaps and practical interventions required before 2027.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that electoral officers, heads of departments and other senior administrative staff from across the South-West attended the meeting.