The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan has charged the leadership and field officers of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to take the message against voter apathy, vote buying and electoral violence to every community in the country.
Professor Amupitan gave the charge on in Abuja at the flag-off of the NOA Nationwide Grassroots Mobilisation for the 2027 General Election.
Addressing the Agency’s management, State Directors and field personnel, he described them as “the vital bridge between electoral policy and civic action.”
He urged them, as they embark on the campaign across all 774 Local Government Areas, to take the message “to every palace, market, place of worship, campus, and village square.”
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The INEC Chairman said the success of the 2027 General Election “depends heavily on defeating three destructive anti-democratic forces: voter apathy, vote buying, and electoral violence.”
On voter apathy, Professor Amupitan said it “erodes the legitimacy of democratic governance.” He explained that “when citizens abstain from voting, they yield their power to a minority.”
He asked the officers to tell citizens that 2027 was “not just a year on the calendar; it is a rendezvous with destiny.”
“Do not wait until election week to get involved. Check your registration status, collect your PVCs now, stay informed, come out on Election Day, vote peacefully according to your conscience, and protect your community from violence,” he said.
Professor Amupitan assured Nigerians that “every valid vote cast will be accurately counted and reflected in the final outcome,” stating that “the combination of BVAS accreditation and IReV result publication ensures that your vote is your power.”
On vote buying, the INEC Chairman described the practice as “a direct attack on constitutional democracy.” According to him, it “degrades the sanctity of the ballot and sells the collective future of our communities for short-term financial gain.”
He said that INEC had reconfigured polling unit layouts “to guarantee absolute ballot secrecy, ensuring no voter can expose their marked ballot to party agents or financial solicitors.”
Financial Flows
He added that, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), the Commission was partnering with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and security agencies “to monitor financial flows around polling environments and arrest those who trade money for votes.”
On electoral violence, Prof. Amupitan said: “No political ambition justifies the shedding of blood or the destruction of property.”
He warned that electoral violence, hate speech and “the emerging threat of AI-generated deepfakes designed to incite ethnoreligious conflict must be confronted decisively.” He called on political parties, candidates and youth groups to “embrace peace and utilize legal channels to resolve all electoral disputes.”
The INEC Chairman also urged the officials to carry a message to political parties. “Play by the rules. Democracy thrives on the beauty of the argument, not the force of the arm,” he said, urging them to campaign on issues, avoid hate speech and “refrain from commercialising the ballot.”
He asked civil society organisations and the media to “continue your robust oversight, fact-check viral narratives, and educate the public with truth and objectivity.”
Professor Amupitan assured the gathering that the Commission was ready for the election. “INEC is ready, prepared, and resolutely committed to conducting a free, fair, transparent, and credible 2027 General Election,” he said.
He said the National Register of Voters now stands at over 103 million, with 176,846 polling units nationwide, and that INEC had executed nine of the 14 key statutory activities in its Timetable and Schedule of Activities.
In his keynote address, the Director-General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the campaign’s theme “expresses both an invitation and a responsibility.”
Mallam Issa-Onilu said the three challenges threatened the democratic process in different ways. “Voter apathy weakens the breadth of public participation and leaves important decisions to fewer people,” he said. “Vote buying undermines freedom of choice by exploiting vulnerability. Electoral violence threatens lives, silences citizens and damages relationships that communities will need long after the ballots have been counted.”
He said: “No political ambition should cost a Nigerian life. No disagreement should destroy the bonds between neighbours. No temporary inducement should determine a citizen’s choice about our collective future.”
The NOA Director-General said the Agency would deploy its State Directorates across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, alongside Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers in the 774 Local Government Areas.
He said the campaign was “strictly non-partisan” and would be delivered through community dialogues, local-language communication, radio discussions, drama, short audio messages and digital platforms.
Mallam Issa-Onilu also requested INEC’s “continued technical collaboration, timely access to verified voter education information and close coordination with our national, state and local structures.”
The event was held under the theme “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Future: Say No to Apathy, Vote Buying and Violence. Let’s Build a United Nigeria in 2027.”
It was attended by National Commissioners, security agencies, political parties, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, and representatives of youth, women and persons with disabilities.
Professor Amupitan said that together with the NOA, security partners and Nigerians, “we will build a united, peaceful, and democratic Nigeria in 2027.”
