The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it plans to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide for the 2027 General Election.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this while receiving a Pre-Election Assessment Mission (PEAM) delegation of the International Republican Institute (IRI), led by its President, Dr Dan Twining, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan said the Commission’s operational roadmap for the 2027 elections included continuous voter registration and voter register auditing, using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to eliminate duplicate records.
He said INEC was also expanding logistics arrangements with transport unions to ensure the punctual opening of polling units at 8:30 a.m. nationwide.
According to him, the Commission was enhancing access to polling units and providing assistive devices for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, nursing mothers and elderly voters.
The INEC Chairman said the visit by the IRI delegation came at a crucial point in the electoral calendar, three days after the Osun State off-cycle governorship election and a day before the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 General Election.
He said recent off-cycle elections, including those in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as legislative by-elections, had provided operational stress tests for INEC’s technology, logistics and security coordination.
Amupitan said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal had recorded upload rates of more than 98 per cent in recent elections.
He identified insecurity, localised electoral violence, vote-buying, hate speech, disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) as major threats to voter confidence.
He said INEC was working with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to enforce electoral laws and prosecute offenders.
Amupitan described international observation missions as institutional partners rather than critics and assured the IRI delegation of the Commission’s transparency and cooperation ahead of the institute’s International Election Observation Mission for the 2027 elections.
He reiterated that INEC had no preference for any political party or candidate, stressing that its mandate was to deliver free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive elections that reflected the will of Nigerians.
Earlier, Twining commended INEC for the successful conduct of the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election and praised Nigerians for their continued commitment to democracy.
He said the international community was interested in supporting Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 elections and was keen to understand the Commission’s plans, concerns and forecasts ahead of the polls.
Amupitan has also urged presidential candidates and political parties to make the 2027 election campaign a contest of ideas rather than a battle of hostilities.
He made the call at the formal signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns for the 2027 General Election at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The INEC Chairman said electoral contests in a constitutional democracy were not total wars but competitive job interviews before the electorate.
He urged candidates to make the 2027 campaign a marketplace of ideas rather than a theatre of war.
Amupitan said Nigerians deserved clear, concrete and measurable manifestoes from political parties on how they intended to promote economic growth, strengthen national security, expand infrastructure, improve healthcare, modernise education and foster social inclusion.
He described the signing of the Accord as a departure from politics based on character assassination, identity manipulation and inflammatory rhetoric.
The Chairman said INEC’s administrative and technological preparedness gave it the moral authority to demand decorum from political actors, noting that the Commission was scaling up its logistics to manage a nationwide ad-hoc workforce of 1.4 million personnel across more than 176,000 polling units.
He, however, warned that technological safeguards and institutional efficiency could not substitute for political responsibility, stressing that incitement, private armed groups and digital disinformation could undermine the electoral process before Election Day.
He urged candidates and party leaders to extend the spirit of the Accord to their state supporters, local government executives, ward canvassers and grassroots supporters.
Amupitan reiterated that INEC had no interest in who won or lost any election and would remain an impartial umpire committed to providing a level playing field for all contestants.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd.), represented by Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, said the Issue-Based Campaign Peace Accord was first established in 2019 to promote political campaigns and rallies based on issues rather than sentiment.
Agwai said the Accord called on political parties and candidates to compete fairly on ideas, policies and programmes, debate opposing views respectfully, mobilise supporters peacefully, protect voters, respect electoral institutions and reject hate speech, incitement and misinformation.
He said the National Peace Committee had, since 2015, facilitated 30 peace accords, comprising five at the national level ahead of the 2015, 2019 and 2023 General Elections and 25 at the sub-national level.
He stated that the Committee had also supported independent peace structures in 23 states.
Agwai disclosed that the Committee operated an Election Security Information Hub, which monitors electoral offences and broader security developments and produces regular threat assessments to support early warning, preventive engagement and evidence-based decision-making.
He appealed to political parties, candidates, campaign councils and spokespersons to campaign on issues affecting Nigerians, avoid spreading false information, promote tolerance and comply with the spirit and letter of the Accord.
The ceremony was attended by presidential candidates and running mates for the 2027 General Election, INEC National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, national chairmen of registered political parties, heads of security agencies, representatives of the diplomatic corps and civil society organisations.
The campaign period for the 2027 General Election officially commenced today, August 19, 2026, in line with INEC’s timetable and schedule of activities for the election.
