2027: INEC Reaffirms Commitment to Free, Fair Elections

.Reassures international community neutrality, unyielding commitment to democratic integrity .IRI issues advisory on conduct of transparent, credible 2027 general election Adedayo Akinwale and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that its primary mandate, which is to deliver free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive elections in 2027 that accurately reflect the sovereign will of the Nigerian people remains clear and non-negotiable. This was as the International Republican Institute (IRI) has offered the Nigerian government a series of recommendations which it believes will help bolster transparency, voter participation, peaceful elections and trust if implemented ahead of the 2027 general election. INEC also reassured the international community of its independence, neutrality, and unyielding commitment to democratic integrity, as clearly demonstrated in the August 15 Osun State governorship election. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated this yesterday in Abuja when the Canadian High Commissioner, Pasquale Salvaggio, led a team to the commission. Amupitan noted that Canada has consistently stood out as a dependable international partner in supporting Africa’s democratic growth. He stressed that over the years, Canada’s international development initiatives had meaningfully supported electoral governance, civic education, public institutional strengthening, and gender inclusion across Nigeria. Amupitan noted that the commission welcomed Canada’s continued interest, constructive engagement, and technical support as we build a more resilient electoral system for Nigeria. He said, “Our primary mandate at INEC, which remains clear and non-negotiable, is to deliver free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive elections that accurately reflect the sovereign will of the Nigerian people.” To achieve this, Amhoitan emphasised that the commission has treated every off-cycle election as a crucial proving ground for reform and operational perfection. He explained that the commission has systematically tested and enhanced its operational frameworks across major electoral exercises—from the Anambra governorship election and the FCT Area Council polls to the Ekiti governorship election. The chairman added that INEC remained focused on its shared priorities: enhancing voter participation, ensuring the security of the ballot, and building public trust in the electoral system. Amupitan said the commission’s performance in the Osun State governorship election, conducted on Saturday, 15th August 2026, represented a benchmark in electoral administration. “Trough early morning logistics deployment —where 3,556 out of 3,763 Polling Units (94.5 per cent) opened for accreditation and voting precisely by 8:30a.m.— optimal BVAS field performance, seamless result upload on the IReV portal, and proactive crisis management, Osun demonstrated what is possible when administrative foresight meets technological fortitude. “We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” he stressed. Amupitan added that as the commission turns its full institutional focus toward the 2027 general election, INEC is scaling its administrative capacity to manage an unprecedented logistical operation. He said in 2027, INEC would deploy a workforce of approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 Polling Units nationwide—representing one of the largest mobilisations of human resources for a national assignment in our country’s history. Amupitan stated, “Mr. Sproule, I want to reassure you and the international community of this commission’s absolute independence, neutrality, and unyielding commitment to democratic integrity, as clearly demonstrated in Osun State.” Earlier, Salvaggio said the Canadian government was interested in how INEC intends to address the challenges confronting the electoral process and deliver elections capable of commanding public confidence. He noted that his government had previously supported international election observation and remained prepared to contribute constructively to Nigeria’s democratic process. Salvaggio noted, “It is a pleasure to be here and to contribute to ensuring that the electoral process moves forward successfully. This includes supporting the conduct of free and fair elections, which is of great importance to us. “Most recently, we brought in international observers to monitor the conduct of elections. But Canada’s interest goes beyond watching the ballot.” The High Commissioner said his government was interested in programmes capable of increasing women’s participation in Nigeria’s electoral process, while also offering relevant information, technical assistance and other support that could strengthen participation and election observation. Meanwhile, the IRI delegation co-led by IRI President Daniel Twining and National Endowment for Democracy Board Member and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Jendayi Frazer, said that public confidence has remained one of the most consequential challenges facing the Independent National Electoral Commission. It said that grievances over the management of the 2023 presidential election has continued to shape perceptions of INEC, while uncertainty about the implementation of new electoral provisions may deepen distrust. Also, IRI said that economic hardship, insecurity and declining confidence in political institutions may pose significant challenges to holding elections in an environment conducive to meaningful democratic participation. Against the background of growing concerns over politicians, the institute advised the federal government and the INEC to ensure that the ballot box area is well secured and made more conducive for voters to cast their vote without external interference. IRI Regional Director for Africa Jenai Cox who read out the recommendations to journalists in Abuja on Friday said that few months to the 2027 General election in Nigeria, unresolved legal ambiguities, candidate disputes, compressed timelines, and persistent concerns about results transmission and collation remain significant challenges. As a means of improving on the integrity of the electoral process, IRI said INEC should consider upgrading the BVAS machine to enhance its performance. The Institute suggested that INEC issues a supplementary guidance defining “communication failure” and establishing a uniform procedure for documenting and resolving electronic results transmission failures. It said the guide should explain when physical Form EC8A becomes the primary basis for collation and how discrepancies between physical and electronic records will be reconciled. In addition, the institute said that INEC should clarify the procedures governing its authority to review declarations and returns under Section 65, including the grounds for review and standards for decision-making toreduce uncertainty and the risk of inconsistent application in closely contested races. Furthermore, IRI advised that INEC and polling security personnel should take measures to protect ballot secrecy on Election Day. It said that polling station layouts and procedures should ensure the secrecy of the ballot by allowing voters to mark their ballots out of view of polling agents and other observers Speaking on key findings and recommendations from its Pre-Election Assessment Mission (PEAM) to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. The Institute also said that INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and security services should enforce legislation against voter inducement. The election observer group said that security and law-enforcement agencies should strengthen the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of election-related violence and voter inducement throughout the pre-election period. While commenting on the off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun IRI noted that while the conduct were generally peaceful on Election Day, there were violent disruptions during collation, persistent vote-buying, and political violence which exposed structural weaknesses that needed to be addressed. “In Osun, it said that civil society monitors recorded more than 81 election-related violent incidents in the year preceding the election, with violence increasing as Election Day approached,” it said.