Lurd Juni

INEC, UK DEEPEN ELECTORAL PARTNERSHIP AS COMMISSION OUTLINES #NigeriaDecides2027 READINESS The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a free, fair, credible and inclusive 2027 General Election, while seeking to deepen its strategic partnership with the United Kingdom in strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, stated this on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency Mr. Pete Vowles, on a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. Welcoming the British High Commissioner and his delegation, Prof. Amupitan described the visit as a continuation of the longstanding partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, anchored on shared commitments to democratic integrity and institutional development. The Chairman highlighted the Commission’s achievements in recent off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, and 16 legislative by-elections conducted across the country. He identified improvements in election logistics, the deployment of personnel and materials, the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), timely uploading of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, intelligence-driven security collaboration and more efficient result management as key areas of progress. He also noted the Commission’s strengthened inclusive voting arrangements, particularly for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women and the elderly. On preparations for the 2027 General Election, the INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission had completed nine of the 14 activities on its Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities, with operational readiness assessments ongoing across the six geopolitical zones. He further revealed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters now stands at over 103 million, while the Commission is conducting a nationwide Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) collection exercise across all 774 Local Government Areas, with collection points decentralised to the registration area and ward levels. Prof. Amupitan also highlighted the deployment of the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal (ICNP), which processed nominations across 21 of the country’s 22 registered political parties, alongside the procurement of 57,000 BVAS devices to strengthen the Commission’s technological capacity. Other critical preparations, he said, include the procurement of election materials for the nation’s 176,846 polling units, improved logistics and supply-chain arrangements, as well as early security coordination through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). While acknowledging the United Kingdom’s longstanding support for Nigeria’s electoral development through technical assistance, capacity building, gender mainstreaming, voter education and institutional policy development, the INEC Chairman identified additional areas for expanded collaboration. These include cybersecurity and technological integrity, specialised training for electoral personnel, strategic communication, combating disinformation and hate speech, and strengthening voter education and inclusive participation, particularly among youths, women and marginalised groups. He emphasised that the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy has implications beyond the country, with significant consequences for peace, stability and economic development across West Africa and the African continent.