INEC Moves To Clean Up 103m Voter Register, Finalises Plans For IDP Voting Ahead Of 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is finalising arrangements to accommodate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the 2027 general elections as part of efforts to ensure inclusive participation in the electoral process.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Friday during a briefing with the ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan said the Commission was also working towards cleaning up and validating Nigeria’s voter register, which has exceeded 103 million registered voters, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He explained that INEC had completed three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and recently concluded the physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters at registration areas across the country.

According to him, the preliminary register has also been uploaded to the Commission’s dedicated online portal to enable Nigerians to scrutinise the records and submit claims and objections before the final register is certified on December 15, 2026.

The INEC chairman said the exercise was aimed at ensuring an accurate and credible register ahead of the elections, adding that arrangements were being made to ensure that displaced Nigerians are not excluded from exercising their voting rights.

He disclosed that the Commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones contained in its revised timetable for the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan said the Presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were scheduled for February 6, 2027.

He added that INEC had conducted zonal readiness assessment tours across the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East geopolitical zones, with the South-South assessment scheduled to take place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The exercises, he said, were designed to assess the preparedness of field officials, inspect electoral logistics and infrastructure, and engage traditional rulers and community leaders.

On technology, Amupitan said the Commission had upgraded its electoral systems, with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) expected to support fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.

He also identified the electronic result management systems, including the newly introduced eEC8A electronic verification platform, as part of measures to strengthen result management and transparency through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

Addressing security concerns, the INEC chairman said the Commission was working with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to protect voters, electoral personnel and election materials.

He said the Commission had operationalised an intelligence-driven security framework known as the ICCES Tentacle to identify potential threats and secure the country’s 176,846 polling units.

Amupitan stressed that particular attention would be given to the safety of ad-hoc election personnel, including members of the National Youth Service Corps, as well as ensuring access for persons with disabilities.

On staff welfare, he disclosed that the Commission had secured approval for the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), alongside a 150 per cent increase in state operational overheads.

He, however, warned that improved welfare would be accompanied by zero tolerance for administrative negligence, extortion and partisan conduct among electoral officials.

The INEC chairman also called for stronger collaboration with ECOWAS, particularly in election observation, combating electoral disinformation, improving logistics in difficult terrains and strengthening voter education.

He urged political parties, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies to play their respective roles in ensuring peaceful and credible elections.

Amupitan assured the visiting delegation that INEC had no preferred candidate or political party, insisting that the Commission’s allegiance was to the rule of law and the will of Nigerian voters.

The ECOWAS delegation was led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh, with former ECOWAS Executive Secretary and former Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament, Dr Abbas Chernor Bundu, serving as co-head.

The mission is in Nigeria as part of its pre-election fact-finding engagement ahead of the 2027 general elections.