Jane Salihu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to introduce a real-time election readiness tracking system that will enable its leadership to monitor preparations across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos while declaring open a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for Administrative Secretaries.
According to Amupitan, the innovation is aimed at moving the Commission away from reactive management of election preparations to a more proactive system capable of identifying operational challenges before they affect the electoral process.
He said the workshop would produce a standardised Administrative Secretary Master Operational Tracker Template, which would be linked to the Commission’s Election Monitoring and Support Centre dashboard and Election Project Plan.
The INEC Chairman explained that the tracker would provide Resident Electoral Commissioners, supervising National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission and the Commission’s headquarters with real-time information on critical areas of election preparation, including distribution of electoral materials, training of ad-hoc personnel and overall state-level readiness.
Amupitan said the system would address a longstanding institutional gap in monitoring the operational responsibilities of Administrative Secretaries, adding that it would also serve as a permanent operational blueprint for future election management beyond the 2027 elections.
The development comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 elections and the national voter register approaches the 100 million mark.
The Commission had recorded 10,772,421 new registrants through the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise conducted between August 2025 and July 2026, subject to ongoing Automated Biometric Identification System verification.
Amupitan said the Commission was also strengthening its voter registration and PVC collection processes, including the use of an online registration portal introduced during the third phase of the CVR and a new printable Permanent Voter’s Card technology deployed during the Osun State governorship election.
He assured that INEC would continue working to ensure that eligible Nigerians were not disenfranchised because of logistical challenges in the distribution of PVCs.
The Chairman also identified logistics and material management, electoral technology, ad-hoc staff optimisation, financial compliance and voter registration as key operational areas requiring sustained attention ahead of the 2027 polls.
He said lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State governorship election, were being applied to improve nationwide electoral preparations.
Earlier, during the South-West Zonal Interactive Meeting and Readiness Assessment held in Lagos, Amupitan described field officers as the frontline guardians of Nigeria’s democracy, stressing that the real test of electoral preparedness would ultimately be at the Local Government Areas, Registration Area Centres and polling units.
He warned INEC personnel against partisan conduct and administrative negligence, citing the provisions of the Electoral Act requiring relevant election officials to take an oath of neutrality.
The Chairman also identified voter apathy, declining public trust and the spread of misinformation and disinformation as major challenges that could undermine the electoral process.
He urged staff to maintain professionalism and competence, noting that the conduct of election officials remained one of the strongest safeguards against false narratives surrounding the Commission.
On staff welfare, Amupitan disclosed that INEC was finalising a new salary and welfare package for its personnel, Commission members and Resident Electoral Commissioners, including the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, commended the Commission for commencing its zonal readiness engagements early, saying credible elections were built through sustained preparation, competent personnel and effective coordination rather than being determined solely on Election Day.
The Secretary to the Commission, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said the workshop would ensure that INEC headquarters and state offices worked from a common Election Project Plan.
She added that state delegations were expected to leave the workshop with logistics risk registers, ad-hoc recruitment and deployment plans, stakeholder engagement plans and the new operational tracker template.
The Lagos engagement is the first leg of INEC’s planned six-zone national readiness tour as the Commission steps up preparations for the 2027 General Election scheduled for January and February 2027.
