2027: We Must Confront Election Frontally, Amupitan Charges INEC Staff

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has charged electoral officers and heads of departments in the Southwest to confront the challenges of the 2027 General Election with greater commitment, discipline and preparedness.

Amupitan gave the charge yesterday in Lagos while addressing Electoral Officers (EOs), Heads of Department (HODs), senior administrative staff and other officials from the six states in the Southwest at the opening of the Southwest Zonal Interaction Meeting and Readiness Assessment.

The meeting is the first leg of the Commission’s planned six-zone national tour to assess its operational preparedness for the 2027 elections.
Under the revised timetable, the Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.

Declaring that “the 2027 General Election is here,” Amupitan said the Commission must confront the election “frontally”, drawing lessons from recent off-cycle elections to strengthen preparations for the national polls.

He cited the Anambra State Governorship Election, the FCT Area Council Election and the recent Osun State Governorship Election as important opportunities through which the Commission could identify weaknesses and improve its processes.

“Those off-cycle elections have provided us with the mirror through which we can see into the 2027 elections,” he said.

The INEC chairman said his decision to personally engage officials at the state and grassroots levels was deliberate, stressing that the success of an election was ultimately determined by what happened in the field.

“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is indeed decided in the field,” Amupitan said.

He urged the Electoral Officers and Heads of Department to use the interaction to present the operational realities confronting them, identify gaps and proffer practical solutions ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, the Commission must adopt a culture of continuous learning, stressing that challenges encountered during one election should provide lessons for improving subsequent polls.

Amupitan also commended INEC officials who participated in the recent Osun State Governorship Election, saying the commendation received by the Commission was largely a result of the efforts of personnel who worked during the election to protect the integrity of the ballot.

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said the credibility of an election was built long before Election Day through early preparation, effective coordination, competent personnel and continuous assessment.

Salami said the readiness assessment should examine not only checklists but also the adequacy of human resources, logistics, infrastructure, technology, electoral materials, security arrangements and stakeholder engagement.

He urged Electoral Officers and Heads of Department across the Southwest to speak frankly about their operational challenges, identify weaknesses early and share practices that could improve the Commission’s preparations for 2027.