The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that its allegiance is to Nigerians, pledging to deliver credible, transparent and peaceful elections in 2027. The commission’s chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, made the declaration on Friday during a meeting with an ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission at INEC’s headquarters […]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that its allegiance is to Nigerians, pledging to deliver credible, transparent and peaceful elections in 2027.

The commission’s chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, made the declaration on Friday during a meeting with an ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.

The delegation was led by former Sierra Leonean Vice President, Victor Foh, who visited Nigeria alongside other officials to assess the country’s level of preparedness for the forthcoming general elections.

Speaking during the engagement, Amupitan described the 2027 polls as a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy, noting that the elections would test the country’s democratic progress since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999.

He maintained that INEC would carry out its constitutional responsibilities without bias, adding that the commission was taking steps to ensure that the electoral process meets the expectations of Nigerians.

Providing an update on preparations, the chairman revealed that the National Register of Voters had crossed 103 million, while nine out of the 14 major statutory activities on the revised election timetable had already been completed.

He listed the completed activities to include three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and the nationwide physical display of the Preliminary Register of Voters.

Amupitan further explained that the commission’s preparations would cover all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with operations extending to 774 local government areas, 8,809 registration areas and 176,846 polling units.

He said INEC had also commenced zonal readiness assessment tours across the six geopolitical zones as part of efforts to evaluate its operational capacity and identify areas requiring attention before the elections.

The commission also plans to deploy technological tools, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, which uses fingerprint and facial biometrics to verify voters, as well as electronic platforms for managing election results.

Amupitan specifically identified the eEC8A electronic verification platform as one of the systems being introduced to strengthen result verification, alongside the INEC Result Viewing Portal.

Addressing concerns surrounding election security, he disclosed that INEC was working with relevant security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to improve security arrangements ahead of the 2027 polls.

He also sought greater cooperation from ECOWAS in the areas of election observation, technical assistance and knowledge sharing, particularly to address electoral disinformation, logistical challenges and gaps in voter education.

The INEC chairman further appealed to the regional organisation to maintain diplomatic engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to promote peaceful election campaigns and compliance with democratic principles.

In his remarks, Foh said the mission was part of ECOWAS’ established responsibility to evaluate the preparedness of member countries approaching general elections and identify areas where the organisation could offer assistance.

He explained that the delegation’s visit was guided by provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework and relevant decisions of the regional bloc’s Authority of Heads of State and Government.

According to him, the assessment would help determine the readiness of electoral stakeholders and establish the kind of support Nigeria might require from ECOWAS ahead of the 2027 general elections.