By Tracy Moses
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has charged electoral officers and other personnel to maintain strict neutrality, professional discipline and fidelity to the law ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that no compromise would be tolerated in the administration of the polls.
Amupitan gave the warning on Monday in Lagos while declaring open the South-West Zonal Interactive Meeting and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election.
The meeting marked the commencement of a six-zone national tour by the Commission’s leadership to assess its operational preparedness for the elections.
The exercise comes as INEC prepares for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027.
Addressing Electoral Officers, Resident Electoral Commissioners, National Commissioners and other officials, Amupitan said the credibility of the elections would depend largely on the conduct of INEC personnel at the field level.
He said the electoral process could not be effectively managed from the comfort of the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, stressing that the real test of preparedness would be at the Local Government Areas, Registration Area Centres and polling units across the country.
“The eyes of over 200 million Nigerians, and indeed the world, are fixed upon us,” Amupitan said, urging staff to recognise the enormous responsibility entrusted to them.
He warned that partisan behaviour, administrative negligence and compromised ethics would constitute serious breaches of the responsibilities of electoral officers.
“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.
The INEC chairman said neutrality was not merely an internal administrative principle but a statutory obligation imposed on election officials.
He cited Section 26 of the Electoral Act, which provides for an oath of neutrality by Electoral Officers, Presiding Officers, Returning Officers and security personnel involved in elections.
“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.
“The question should never be: ‘Who will benefit from this decision?’ The question should always be: ‘What does the law require me to do?’ That is the discipline that protects both the electoral process and the electoral officer,” he said.
Amupitan also cautioned personnel against informal practices that could undermine established electoral procedures, urging them to follow the law and escalate operational difficulties through appropriate institutional channels.
“One of the recurring problems in public administration is the temptation to solve difficult situations through informal practices.
“In election administration, that temptation can be dangerous. 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.
According to him, credible elections cannot be guaranteed by legislation or technology alone without officials who are prepared to implement the rules faithfully.
“A beautifully drafted Electoral Act cannot by itself guarantee a credible election. A sophisticated electoral technology cannot by itself guarantee integrity.
“An independent electoral commission cannot by itself guarantee public confidence. The credibility of an election depends significantly on how faithfully the law is implemented by the officials entrusted with its administration,” Amupitan said.
He consequently directed personnel to understand their statutory responsibilities, properly document their decisions and ensure that every administrative action could withstand public scrutiny.
“My simple message to you today is that you must know the law; understand your responsibility; remain neutral; document your actions; protect the integrity of the process.
“Remember that every administrative decision you make may eventually have to withstand public scrutiny and judicial review,” he said.
10.7m New Registrants
Amupitan disclosed that the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise conducted between August 2025 and July 2026 produced 10,772,421 new registrants, subject to Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification.
He said the Commission remained committed to ensuring that eligible Nigerians were not excluded from the electoral process because of administrative or logistical shortcomings.
The chairman also disclosed that the Commission had introduced printable Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) technology during the Osun State governorship election, in line with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act.
He said INEC would continue to strengthen its voter registration and PVC distribution processes as the national register approaches the 100 million mark.
“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.
The Commission, he added, was also refining its Result Management Systems, including the recently introduced eEC8A, to improve the verifiability and traceability of election results from polling units through the various levels of collation.
“We are refining our Result Management Systems to ensure that from the polling unit to the national collation centre, the journey of the vote is visible, verifiable, and validated.
“The recently introduced eEC8A is to ensure this verification,” Amupitan said.
INEC Raises Readiness Bar
The chairman said the Commission was drawing lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State governorship election, to strengthen preparations for the much larger 2027 exercise.
He said the Osun election demonstrated what could be achieved when operational discipline, technical competence and administrative integrity were brought together.
He, however, cautioned that the scale of the 2027 elections would require a considerably higher level of preparedness because the exercise would be conducted simultaneously across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“If Osun showed Nigerians what we can do, 2027 must prove to the world that excellence is our permanent culture, not an occasional coincidence.
“The success of the 2027 election will not be judged by the quantity of votes cast, but by the quality of the process.
“I demand from you nothing less than absolute neutrality and professional excellence,” he said.
Amupitan identified voter apathy, public distrust and the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation as some of the challenges that could affect the credibility of the elections.
According to him, the competence and integrity of field officers would remain among INEC’s strongest defences against false narratives and attempts to undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
South-West Readiness
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said the South-West’s diverse political and electoral environment required a detailed assessment of the Commission’s preparedness beyond routine administrative checklists.
Salami said electoral credibility was built long before Election Day through adequate planning, competent personnel, effective coordination and early identification of operational gaps.
“Our readiness assessment must therefore go beyond checklists. It must examine whether our systems will work effectively when subjected to stressors and realities of Election Day,” he said.
He identified human resources, logistics, infrastructure, technology, electoral materials, security and stakeholder engagement as areas requiring sustained attention ahead of the polls.
The Lagos engagement marks the first leg of INEC’s six-zone national readiness tour, through which the Commission’s leadership will engage directly with field personnel and assess preparations across the country.
The exercise is expected to provide the Commission with a clearer picture of state-level preparedness, identify potential operational weaknesses and ensure that lessons from recent elections are incorporated into planning for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan said the assignment before INEC was substantial but achievable if personnel remained guided by the law and committed to professional excellence.
“Conducting seamless elections in a nation as vast and vibrant as Nigeria remains a herculean task, but it is a task we are uniquely prepared for.
“Let us go forth with courage, guided by law, powered by technology and sustained by our love for Nigeria. The road to 2027 begins here, and we shall not falter,” he said.