By Anayo Akwitti
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says it has moved into the final operational phase of preparations for the 2027 general election, with 100 days to the presidential and National Assembly polls.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, at a news conference and national stakeholders’ meeting marking the countdown.
Amupitan said the commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones in its revised timetable for the elections.
“The National Register of Voters now stood at 103.43 million following three phases of Continuous Voter Registration, which produced 10,772,421 new registrations after biometric verification”.
“Lagos has the highest number of registered voters at 7,488,633, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640”.
He explained that Ekiti has the lowest number, with 1,055,708 registered voters.
Amupitan said INEC would display the register nationwide from October 9 to 15 to allow voters to check their details and raise claims or objections.
“Distribution of the first phase of Permanent Voter Cards to local government centres will also begin on October 9, while INEC expects to present the final register to political parties on December 15”.
For election technology, the commission has acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, while upgrades to its information and communications technology infrastructure are ongoing.
Amupitan said INEC would conduct a nationwide stress test of configured BVAS devices from October 23 to 28, followed by a mock accreditation exercise in November.
He also announced the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Division within the ICT Department., “AI tools will help detect anomalies and protect election databases and public portals, but all applications will remain subject to human oversight as INEC finalises its AI Governance Framework”.
On logistics, Amupitan said INEC had agreements with major transport unions to mobilise more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the movement of personnel and electoral materials.
He said sensitive materials would be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to local government areas 72 hours before polling, with measures in place for polling units to open at 7:30 a.m.
The commission is also working with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to support intelligence-led deployment and protect voters, personnel and electoral materials.
Amupitan said INEC would work with the Ministry of Justice, EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to monitor campaign financing and tackle vote-buying and illicit campaign spending.
He warned against misinformation, including deepfakes and AI-generated content, which he said could undermine public confidence in the elections.
Amupitan urged media organisations to verify election-related information with INEC and use fact-checking and digital forensic tools where necessary.
On staffing, the chairman said INEC would require 1,414,768 engagements of ad hoc personnel for the two election days, comprising 707,384 personnel for each election.
Recruitment through the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff opened on September 18 and will close on November 18, 2026.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.
Edited by Julian Osamoto
