The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has successfully completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones outlined in its revised timetable for the 2027 General Election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Friday, October 30, 2026, while receiving the ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission at the Commission’s National Headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan also revealed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has crossed 103 million, with the Commission intensifying preparations for the elections scheduled to hold in January and February 2027.
According to him, the Presidential and National Assembly elections will take place on Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2027.
He said INEC would conduct the elections across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 Registration Areas and 176,846 polling units.
On preparations, the INEC chairman disclosed that the Commission had concluded zonal readiness assessment tours in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East, with the South-South assessment scheduled to take place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He explained that the exercise was designed to assess operational preparedness, inspect logistics and infrastructure, engage field personnel and consult traditional and community leaders.
On the electoral timetable, Amupitan said the Commission had concluded three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and completed the physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters nationwide.
He added that the register had also been uploaded to INEC’s online portal, display.inecnigeria.org, to enable eligible Nigerians scrutinise their details and submit claims and objections ahead of the certification of the Final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
The INEC chairman further disclosed that the Commission was strengthening its technological capacity ahead of the elections, with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to be deployed for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.
He also highlighted the electronic result management systems, including the newly introduced eEC8A electronic verification platform, alongside the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as part of efforts to promote transparency in the electoral process.
On staff welfare, Amupitan said the Commission had secured approval for the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), which he described as a major reform that would move INEC personnel away from the regular civil service salary structure.
He also announced a 150 per cent increase in state operational overheads, stressing that improved staff welfare would be matched with zero tolerance for administrative negligence, extortion and partisan compromise.
Addressing electoral security, the INEC chairman said the Commission was working with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to strengthen protection for voters and election personnel.
He disclosed that an intelligence-driven framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle” had been operationalised to identify and address potential security threats across the country’s 176,846 polling units.
According to him, the framework would also protect ad-hoc election personnel, particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), while ensuring that persons with disabilities and other eligible voters could access polling units without intimidation.
Amupitan called for stronger collaboration with ECOWAS, particularly in deploying long-term and short-term election observers, sharing technical expertise and combating electoral disinformation.
He also urged the regional body to sustain diplomatic engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to promote peaceful campaigns and democratic commitments ahead of the elections.
He emphasised that credible elections required collective responsibility, noting that political parties, the media, civil society organisations and security agencies all had important roles to play.
The ECOWAS delegation was led by Victor Bockarie Foh, former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, as Head of Mission, alongside Dr. Abbas Chernor Bundu, former Executive Secretary of ECOWAS and former Speaker of the Parliament of Sierra Leone, as Co-Head of Mission.
Ambassador Francess Piagie Alghali, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, was also part of the delegation.
Reaffirming INEC’s commitment to impartiality, Amupitan declared that the Commission had no preferred candidate or political party.
“Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation,” he said.
He assured the ECOWAS mission of the Commission’s readiness to provide detailed briefings on its preparations and operational plans, adding that the mission’s findings and recommendations would help strengthen preparations for the 2027 General Election.
