By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), has assured Nigerians that the Commission is fully committed to delivering credible elections ahead of the 2027 general election.
He also announced the commission’s plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise and confirming that preparations for upcoming polls are on course.
Prof. Amupitan gave the assurances on Wednesday in Abuja at INEC’s first regular consultative meeting with media executives for 2026. The meeting brought together leaders of media organisations, senior journalists, representatives of professional bodies, and top officials of the Commission.
Addressing participants, the INEC chairman described the engagement as timely, noting that 2026 would be a busy year filled with electoral activities as the country moves closer to the 2027 general polls. He emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration between INEC and the media in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
Reflecting on recent elections, Prof. Amupitan recalled the successful conduct of the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election on November 8, 2025, barely weeks after he assumed office. He said the poll, which involved over 2.8 million registered voters across 5,718 polling units, was widely adjudged credible, transparent and inclusive. He commended the media for its role in public enlightenment and accountability throughout the process.
Turning to imminent elections, the INEC chairman said preparations were in top gear for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026. According to him, the election will involve more than 1.6 million registered voters across 2,822 polling units in the six area councils of the FCT.
He disclosed that non-sensitive election materials had already been delivered and batched at area council levels, while the training of electoral officers, security personnel and ad hoc staff was ongoing. Prof. Amupitan also announced that a mock accreditation exercise would be conducted on February 7, 2026, in 289 selected polling units to test INEC’s preparedness.
In addition to the FCT polls, the Commission will conduct bye-elections on the same day in Ahoada East II and Khana II state constituencies in Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo state constituencies in Kano State, following vacancies created by resignation and death of lawmakers.
Looking ahead, the INEC chairman confirmed that governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states would hold on June 20 and August 8, 2026, respectively, in line with the Electoral Act. He said several activities outlined in the election timetables for both states had already been completed.
On the 2027 General Election, Prof. Amupitan revealed that the Commission had finalised the timetable and schedule of activities in compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022. However, he appealed to the media to support INEC in urging the National Assembly to expedite action on ongoing amendments to the Electoral Act.
A major highlight of the meeting was the announcement of a forthcoming nationwide voter revalidation exercise aimed at sanitising the national voters’ register. Prof. Amupitan said persistent challenges such as duplicate registrations, inclusion of deceased persons and non-citizens had continued to undermine public confidence.
“To further strengthen the integrity of the register ahead of the 2027 General Election, the Commission will soon embark on a nationwide voter revalidation exercise,” he said.
He also warned against double registration during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), stressing that offenders would be detected, removed from the register and barred from future elections.
Prof. Amupitan further disclosed that INEC had received 171 applications from associations seeking registration as political parties, adding that only those that met constitutional and legal requirements would be approved.
He called on the media to help mobilise eligible voters in the FCT to collect their Permanent Voter Cards before the February 10 deadline, while also urging journalists to combat misinformation, disinformation and hate speech during the electoral process.
Responding, the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahya, commended INEC for engaging the media and appealed for continuous training of journalists to enhance election reporting, particularly after amendments to the Electoral Act.
“I will say that the issue of training for journalists is of concern. Let me on this note sincerely appeal to you to prioritize issues of training. And in 2022, there was a training that took place in Lagos, where by all media executives that are here, more than 80% of them were in attendance. And I think it is expected that as soon as the Electoral Act is passed, we are going to have this kind of training so that new members can be abreast with the new Electoral Act so that we can be strong advocates for a better election processes and election in Nigeria” Yahya stated.
He assured the Commission of the media’s readiness to support credible electoral processes and provide adequate coverage of election activities nationwide.
