The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has directed a review of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) records in the South-East and the removal of obstacles delaying Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Amupitan gave the directive on October 20, 2026, in Enugu during the commission’s South-East Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 elections.
He said the commission was committed to ensuring that no eligible voter was disenfranchised by administrative or logistical challenges.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the three phases of CVR conducted between August 2025 and July 2026 recorded 10,772,421 new registrants, subject to final biometric verification, bringing the national voter register to over 103 million.
He also highlighted the introduction of online voter registration and printable PVC technology to improve access and reduce delays in collecting voter cards.
Amupitan said the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on January 16, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
He identified voter apathy, public distrust and misinformation as major challenges, stressing the need for transparency, timely communication and professionalism among electoral personnel.
On security, he said INEC was strengthening collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to address potential threats to personnel and electoral operations.
He also highlighted improvements in election technology, logistics, staff training and welfare, warning that partisanship, extortion and administrative negligence would not be tolerated.
The chairman urged INEC officials to uphold neutrality, comply with electoral laws and protect the integrity of the voting process.
The meeting brought together National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners from the South-East, Electoral Officers, security agencies and other key stakeholders as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Elections.
