Joash Amupitan, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has described the visit of the International Republican Institute (IRI) Pre-Election Assessment Mission (PEAM) to Nigeria as timely and strategic ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan stated this on Tuesday, when he received the IRI delegation at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The delegation was led by Ambassador Jendayi Frazier, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. Other members of the delegation include IRI Vice President, Scott Mastic; Africa Regional Director, Jenai Cox; and West Africa Regional Program Director, Sentell Barnes, among other senior officials.
Amupitan said the IRI’s assessment mission, scheduled to run from August 11 to 21, has come at a critical point in Nigeria’s electoral calendar. He noted that it comes shortly after the Osun State governorship election held on August 15 and on the eve of the statutory commencement of campaigns and rallies for the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the mission will provide an independent assessment of Nigeria’s electoral environment as INEC transitions into full-scale preparations for the nationwide polls.
The INEC Chairman said recent off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as legislative by-elections, have provided the Commission with opportunities to test its technology, logistics and security coordination systems.
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He highlighted the continued deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic upload of Polling Unit result sheets through the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal as key components of the Commission’s electoral technology.
Amupitan disclosed that recent elections recorded result-upload rates of more than 98 per cent, adding that the Commission is committed to using technology to strengthen the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.
Looking ahead to 2027, he said INEC is preparing for one of the country’s largest electoral logistical operations, involving approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel and more than 176,000 Polling Units nationwide.
He listed continuous voter registration and voter-register auditing, logistics optimisation and improved accessibility for vulnerable groups as major areas of focus.
The Commission, he said, is deploying the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to detect and eliminate duplicate voter records, while strengthening early logistics deployment and transportation arrangements to ensure timely opening of polling units. It will also expand measures to improve access for Persons with Disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers and elderly voters.
Amupitan acknowledged security and integrity challenges facing Nigeria’s electoral process, including electoral violence, vote-buying, hate speech, disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).
He said INEC is working with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), as well as anti-corruption agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to address electoral offences and campaign-finance violations.
He also disclosed that INEC would later on Tuesday join presidential candidates at the National Peace Committee’s signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns, aimed at promoting peaceful and issue-focused campaigns.
The INEC chairman described international election observation missions as important partners in strengthening Nigeria’s electoral system, noting that their assessments and recommendations could help INEC identify gaps, improve its operations and enhance public confidence.
He assured the IRI delegation of INEC’s transparency, cooperation and open-door policy throughout the assessment mission and in preparation for the institute’s International Election Observation Mission for the 2027 elections.
Reiterating the Commission’s neutrality, Amupitan said:
“Our sole mandate is to serve as an uncompromising, impartial umpire dedicated to delivering a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive election that reflects the sovereign will of the Nigerian people.”
He wished the IRI delegation a successful and safe assessment mission across Nigeria and reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to strengthening the country’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 General Election.
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