Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish verifiable evidence of its preparations for the 2027 general election, including a state-by-state dashboard detailing the recruitment and certification of ad hoc election personnel.
The organisations, led by ActionAid Nigeria, said transparency in logistics, personnel recruitment, training and security was critical to preventing a recurrence of operational challenges recorded during the 2023 general elections.
They made the demand at a press briefing in Abuja, warning that Nigerians could not afford to leave the credibility of the 2027 elections to assumptions and assurances.
The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Andrew Mamedu, who read the joint statement, said INEC must demonstrate its readiness through transparent and verifiable evidence.
“Public confidence will not be restored by assurances alone. It must be built through transparency, operational competence and accountability,” he said.
Mamedu noted that credible elections were built long before election day, requiring timely distribution of election materials, impartial recruitment and practical training of personnel, reliable technology, clear results management procedures and effective security arrangements.
The groups therefore urged INEC to publish a comprehensive logistics plan detailing distribution timelines, deadlines for each stage, contingency arrangements for difficult-to-reach communities and procedures for correcting shortages before voting begins.
Also speaking, the Director of Strategy at the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Mr Itia Otabor, said citizens, political parties, INEC and security agencies must take deliberate steps to safeguard the electoral process rather than assume that preparations would proceed smoothly.
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Otabor called for continuous monitoring and verification of electoral preparations, warning that Nigerians could not afford to take chances with the 2027 elections.
The CSOs, which also include the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, MOTION and other partners, maintained that electoral preparedness must be assessed through measurable progress and publicly verifiable information.
They urged INEC to make its preparations open to public scrutiny, particularly in areas where logistical failures, inadequate personnel and insecurity could prevent citizens from exercising their voting rights.
“Readiness is demonstrated, not declared. We demand: Show us the plan. Show us the progress. Show us the evidence. Our votes must not be lost to preventable logistical failures,” the organisations said.
They stressed that the credibility of the 2027 general elections would depend not only on INEC’s plans but also on its ability to implement them transparently and effectively across the country.
