2027 Elections: Reps Summons INEC Chairman to Explain Preparations

The House of Representatives has directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, to appear before its Committee on Electoral Matters within seven legislative days to explain the commission’s level of preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

The lawmakers want INEC to clarify the measures being put in place to ensure that eligible voters in areas affected by insecurity are not denied the opportunity to participate in the elections.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Minority Whip, Mansur Soro, and Deputy Minority Leader, Abdussamad Dasuki, during Wednesday’s plenary.

The committee is expected to assess INEC’s readiness in continuous voter registration, Permanent Voter Card (PVC) production and distribution, election logistics, deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as well as the training of electoral personnel, security arrangements and funding.

Lawmakers will also seek an assessment of lessons learnt from the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

As part of the engagement, Amupitan is expected to provide detailed information on voter registration, electoral technology, recruitment and training of officials, operational challenges in insecure areas, and the status of budgetary allocations and fund releases.

The House also wants INEC to explain any funding shortfalls and their possible effects on the implementation of the electoral timetable.

The motion initially proposed that the INEC chairman address the entire House during plenary. However, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu argued that the responsibility should be handled by the Committee on Electoral Matters, which is constitutionally mandated to oversee the commission.

Kalu maintained that inviting the INEC chairman before the full House, shortly after he had briefed the public on election preparations, would undermine the role of the relevant committee.

He urged lawmakers to rely on their committees to conduct the necessary oversight and examine the commission’s readiness.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas subsequently clarified that the House was not opposed to engaging Amupitan but insisted that the invitation should be handled at committee level.

He directed the committee to announce the date of the meeting publicly to enable other interested lawmakers to attend and ask questions.

Presenting the motion, Soro cited relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Constitution’s Third Schedule and the Electoral Act 2026, which outline INEC’s responsibilities for organising, conducting and supervising elections.

He said the credibility and public acceptance of the 2027 elections would depend largely on the commission’s preparedness in voter registration, public education, logistics, technology, personnel training, security coordination and funding.

Soro also highlighted difficulties reported at Continuous Voter Registration centres nationwide, including inadequate equipment and personnel, network failures, long waiting periods and increased demand from citizens seeking to register or update their voter details.

According to him, these challenges disproportionately affect first-time voters, rural residents, persons with disabilities, students and workers, potentially limiting their participation in the electoral process.

He warned that failure to address the problems promptly could disrupt the procurement of election materials, technology deployment, personnel training, voter education and security planning.

The lawmaker added that unresolved gaps in registration, logistics, technology and funding could weaken public confidence and threaten the peaceful conduct of the 2027 polls.

Dasuki, in his contribution, emphasised the need for INEC to explain how it would conduct elections in communities where insecurity could prevent residents from reaching polling units or disrupt electoral activities.

He disclosed that members of the House had sponsored about 255 motions on insecurity, raising concerns about the ability of residents in affected constituencies to exercise their voting rights.

“This is the very first time we are going into an election with 11 months of security concerns,” Dasuki said.

He stressed that the commission must demonstrate how it intends to protect electoral participation in areas facing persistent security challenges.

The proposed engagement is expected to enable lawmakers to scrutinise INEC’s preparations, identify critical gaps and recommend urgent measures to support the conduct of free, fair, credible, inclusive and peaceful general elections in 2027.