By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has commenced a zonal readiness assessment of the Commission’s operations in the South-West, as part of efforts to ensure full administrative, human and logistical preparedness for the 2027 general election.
Amupitan disclosed this on the Commission’s official X handle, @inecnigeria. during an engagement with Electoral Officers and other Commission officials in the zone, explaining that the exercise marked the commencement of a series of zonal engagements to enable INEC’s leadership personally assess the Commission’s level of preparedness ahead of the elections.
According to him, INEC’s attention has now shifted fully to preparations for the 2027 general election, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, 16 January, 2027, to be followed by the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
He explained that the decision to adopt a zonal approach, rather than the usual state-by-state engagements, was informed by the limited time available before the polls.
The Chairman said the exercise would provide an opportunity to meet directly with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), Electoral Officers and other officials responsible for implementing the Commission’s policies and decisions at the state and local government levels.
“It is very critical for me to go and see for myself and be sure that we are physically, psychologically, materially and infrastructurally ready for the 2027 General Election,” he said.
Amupitan emphasised the importance of the administrative structure in delivering credible elections, describing Electoral Officers and other officials at the local government level as the Commission’s “foot soldiers” responsible for translating decisions taken at the national level into effective action on the ground.
He explained that Electoral Officers work within a chain of responsibility under the supervision of Resident Electoral Commissioners, who are directly responsible to the Commission.
He noted that while the administrative component of election management had not always received sufficient attention, every link in the electoral chain remained essential to the success of an election.
“Their role has always not been emphasised before now. But we know that if the chain is broken, then the election will run into crisis,” the Chairman said.
The readiness assessment, he explained, was designed to examine every component of the electoral process and identify areas requiring attention ahead of the elections.
He disclosed that the Commission was engaging its officials and partners to clarify responsibilities and strengthen coordination, particularly in areas relating to administration, staff management and implementation of Commission decisions, assuring participants that INEC would continue to address the various components of election preparation systematically to minimise operational gaps.
“We want to address every chain, every aspect of the election, and ensure that we have a seamless general election in 2027,” he said.
