Amupitan Charges INEC Officials to Brace for 2027 Elections

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has urged electoral officers in the South-West to confront the challenges of the 2027 general elections with greater commitment, discipline and preparedness.

Amupitan made the call on Monday in Lagos while speaking at the opening of the commission’s South-West Zonal Interaction Meeting and Readiness Assessment.

The meeting marked the first phase of INEC’s six-zone national tour aimed at assessing its operational preparedness ahead of the 2027 elections.

The INEC chairman said the commission must confront the challenges of the forthcoming elections “frontally”, stressing the importance of learning from previous off-cycle elections.

According to him, recent elections, including the Anambra State governorship poll, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council election and the Osun State governorship election, provided valuable lessons that should guide the commission’s preparations for 2027.

“Those off-cycle elections have provided us with the mirror through which we can see into the 2027 elections,” Amupitan said.

He explained that his decision to personally engage electoral officers and field-level officials was deliberate, noting that the success of any election ultimately depends on effective operations at the grassroots.

“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is indeed decided in the field,” he said.

Amupitan urged the officers to use the engagement to highlight the realities and challenges confronting them, identify operational gaps and propose practical solutions ahead of the elections.

He also emphasised the need for continuous learning and improvement, saying lessons from previous elections must be used to strengthen INEC’s processes and capacity.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.