By Nkechi Eze
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, has called for deeper collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as the Commission intensifies preparations for a busy electoral cycle culminating in the 2027 General Election, assuring Nigerians of INEC’s commitment to credible, inclusive and transparent polls.
Speaking at the First Quarterly Consultative Meeting with Civil Society Organisations held at the INEC Conference Room, Abuja, on Wednesday, 4th February, 2026, Professor Amupitan described the engagement as both symbolic and strategic, noting that it was his first consultative meeting with CSOs since assuming office and an important platform for dialogue, shared learning and collective problem-solving.
Although the year was already in its second month, the INEC Chairman extended New Year greetings to stakeholders and reminded them that 2026 would be a year of intense electoral activity. He emphasised that early and sustained engagement with partners was essential in laying a solid foundation for the success of forthcoming elections and for strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
Reflecting on recent activities, Professor Amupitan recalled that barely fifteen days after he assumed office, the Commission successfully conducted the Anambra State off-cycle Governorship Election on 8th November, 2025. He explained that the election followed extensive stakeholder engagements and a comprehensive pre-election assessment designed to test the Commission’s level of preparedness as well as its election technologies.
According to him, the Anambra election involved candidates from 16 political parties and 2,802,790 eligible voters spread across 5,718 polling units. He said the process was managed with openness, accountability and strict adherence to the law, while appreciating stakeholders particularly CSOs for their cooperation and constructive engagement. He also highlighted the deployment of sign language interpreters during the election as a notable milestone in INEC’s commitment to inclusion.
Looking ahead, the INEC Chairman announced that the next major electoral exercise would be the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections scheduled for Saturday, 21st February, 2026. He disclosed that the election would involve 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units in the six Area Councils of Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.
He explained that a total of 570 candidates would be contesting in 68 constituencies for the positions of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen, while 62 councillorship seats would be contested, made up of 10 wards each in five Area Councils and 12 wards in the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Professor Amupitan noted that the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, released on 23rd January, 2025, contained 13 key activities, ten of which had already been completed. The remaining activities, he said, were the publication of the Notice of Poll, the last day of campaigns and Election Day itself. He reminded political parties that campaigns would officially end on Thursday, 19th February, 2026.
Providing an update on preparedness, the INEC Chairman stated that non-sensitive materials had already been delivered and batched at each Area Council, while recruitment of ad hoc staff had been concluded and training commenced on 2nd February, 2026. He added that election security personnel had been trained, and that Supervising Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers were currently undergoing training.
He further disclosed that BVAS devices were being configured for accreditation and upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, and that sensitive materials would be delivered a day before the election. A mock accreditation exercise, he announced, would take place on Saturday, 7th February, 2026, in 289 selected polling units across the six Area Councils, with details to be published on the Commission’s website.
Professor Amupitan also revealed that INEC had deployed specialised resources and targeted sensitisation programmes to support voters with disabilities and promote inclusivity. He added that 83 domestic observers and five foreign observers had been accredited to observe the FCT Area Council elections.
The INEC Chairman announced that, on the same day 21st February, 2026, the Commission would conduct bye-elections in Ahoada East II and Khana II State Constituencies of Rivers State, following the resignation and death of the elected members, respectively. In Ahoada East II, 41,085 registered voters are expected to vote in 87 polling units across six wards, while in Khana II, 71,865 registered voters will vote in 155 polling units across eight wards.
Similarly, bye-elections will be conducted in Kano Municipal and Ungogo State Constituencies of Kano State due to the death of the two serving members. Professor Amupitan said 330,228 registered voters would vote in 630 polling units across 13 wards in Kano Municipal, while 205,418 registered voters would vote in 384 polling units across 11 wards in Ungogo. Ten political parties, he added, are participating in both contests.
Turning to governorship elections, the INEC Chairman recalled that, in line with Section 28(1) and (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the Commission had announced on 25th June, 2025, that the Ekiti State Governorship Election would hold on 20th June, 2026, across 2,445 polling units in the state’s 16 local government areas. He noted that eight out of the 13 activities in the timetable had already been completed.
He also disclosed that the Osun State Governorship Election was scheduled for Saturday, 8th August, 2026, and that the third activity in the approved timetable for that election was currently underway.
On the 2027 General Election, Professor Amupitan explained that Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 empowers INEC to issue a notice of election not later than 360 days before the date of the poll. While noting that the National Assembly was currently considering amendments to the Electoral Act, he said the Commission had already made its submissions.
He acknowledged the growing public anticipation regarding the release of the 2027 timetable and assured Nigerians that the Timetable and Schedule of Activities had been finalised in full compliance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and the Electoral Act, 2022. He appealed to CSOs to support efforts aimed at urging the National Assembly to expedite action on the ongoing amendments.
Emphasising the centrality of a credible voters’ register to democratic elections, Professor Amupitan said no electoral process could command public confidence without trust in the integrity of the register. He recalled that Nigeria’s national register of voters, first compiled ahead of the 2011 General Election, had been continuously updated and used for the 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 General Elections, as well as numerous off-cycle governorship and bye-elections.
As of the 2023 General Election, he said, the register stood at 93,469,008 voters. However, he identified persistent challenges such as duplicate registrations, under-age registration, registration by non-citizens, inclusion of deceased persons, and incomplete or inaccurate records, noting that these anomalies undermine public confidence.
To address the situation, the INEC Chairman announced that the Commission would embark on a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise ahead of the 2027 General Election, aimed at thoroughly cleaning up and strengthening the integrity of the register.
On Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), Professor Amupitan disclosed that during the first phase of the exercise, conducted from 18th August to 10th December, 2025, INEC registered 2,782,589 eligible voters. The second phase, he said, commenced on 5th January, 2026, and would run until 17th April, 2026, while the entire CVR exercise would last one year and end on 30th August, 2026.
He described the public response to the exercise as encouraging and indicative of Nigerians’ continuing belief in democracy and in INEC’s efforts to expand access to registration. For transparency, he said, data on completed online pre-registrations and physical registrations are published weekly on the Commission’s website.
On political party registration, the INEC Chairman revealed that the Commission had received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties. He said the applications were assessed in line with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, 2022, and the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022, adding that several associations failed to meet the required standards. He announced that the successful association or associations would be made public soon.
Professor Amupitan used the occasion to appeal to CSOs to help mobilise residents of the FCT Area Councils to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), stressing that the ongoing PVC distribution exercise in the FCT would end on 10th February, 2026.
He also urged CSOs to collaborate with INEC in monitoring political parties’ campaigns and general conduct, and to intensify sensitisation against hate speech, vote buying, misinformation, disinformation and violence. He noted that more work was required in civic and voter education as well as gender inclusion, especially in the face of rising voter apathy.
Concluding, the INEC Chairman stressed that preparing for the 2027 General Election must be a collective endeavour anchored on vigilance, proactivity and shared responsibility. He commended CSOs for their contributions to Nigeria’s democratic development and assured them that the Commission’s doors remained open for continued engagement.
