The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified insecurity and vote buying as major challenges that must be addressed to guarantee a credible and inclusive 2027 general election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated this in his goodwill message at the 2026 Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO) in Owerri, Imo State. The conference, held from September 21 to 23, is focused on developing a roadmap for effective management of election security ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan said insecurity in some parts of the country remained a major concern for the Commission because it could prevent citizens from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
According to him, INEC would continue to work closely with the Nigeria Police Force, the lead agency for election security, to develop strategies for conducting elections in volatile areas and ensuring that no Nigerian is disenfranchised.
The INEC chairman also raised concerns over disputes arising from political party primaries, noting that such matters were within the jurisdiction of the courts. He stressed that where litigation persists, INEC would abide by the final decision of the courts.
On vote buying, Amupitan said the practice was becoming increasingly difficult to detect because transactions were often concluded away from polling units.
He therefore called for stronger intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration to identify and tackle those involved in electoral offences.
“Most of the issues of vote buying now, you don’t even see them at the polling units. They are done outside of the polling units. So we need to activate intelligence,” he said.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC was considering broader collaboration involving relevant government institutions, including the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, to tackle electoral offences collectively.
He noted that INEC does not have powers to arrest or investigate offenders, making cooperation with law enforcement agencies essential.
The INEC chairman further said the Commission would continue to strengthen logistics and result-management processes, while improving on lessons learnt from previous off-cycle elections.
He said INEC had conducted several recent off-cycle elections without any being declared inconclusive, adding that each election provided lessons that were being applied to subsequent exercises.
On the 2027 elections, Amupitan said the Commission was determined to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election, stressing that public confidence would depend largely on transparency in the electoral process.
He also called for issue-based political campaigns, urging political parties and their supporters to avoid personality attacks, denigration and actions capable of heightening political tension.
Amupitan said electoral offences under the law must be properly investigated and prosecuted, stressing the importance of collaboration between INEC and law enforcement agencies.
The CARSPO 2026 conference brought together senior police officers and other stakeholders to develop practical strategies for protecting voters, electoral officials, candidates and election materials before, during and after the 2027 elections.
