By Myke Uzendu
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupita, has charged staff of the Commission to maintain political neutrality, uphold discipline and protect the integrity of the ballot ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan also directed that no staff member should proceed on annual leave until after the elections, as part of measures to ensure adequate manpower and operational readiness.
He gave the directives in Lokoja, Kogi State, during the North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election, according to a report published in the INEC News Bulletin.
The meeting was attended by National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the zone, directors from the national headquarters, administrative secretaries, heads of departments and electoral officers.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the Commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones in the election timetable, following its nationwide operational readiness assessment across the six geopolitical zones.
He said the exercise was designed to identify operational weaknesses, incorporate local challenges into national planning and prevent voters from being disenfranchised through administrative or logistical failures.
Amupitan warned that partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract swift sanctions, reminding staff of their obligations under the Oath of Neutrality provided for in Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026.
“You are the human bridge translating the Electoral Act 2026 into democratic reality. Know the law, understand your responsibility, maintain absolute neutrality, document every action, and protect the integrity of the ballot,” he said.
He disclosed that the 2027 general elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections would hold on February 6, 2027.
The INEC chairman said the Commission’s conduct of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, the FCT Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections had provided opportunities to test its preparedness for the general elections.
On logistics, he disclosed that operational pickup vehicles had been distributed to state and Local Government Area offices, while 20 Sports Utility Vehicles had been procured for RECs. Administrative secretaries would also receive new vehicles.
He added that the Commission was configuring its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 57,000 newly procured units, while electronic result management systems were being audited to ensure transparent transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Amupitan also announced that printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC Location Portal had been activated, while the certified Register of Voters would be published on December 15, 2026.
On election security, he unveiled an intelligence-led framework under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), tagged the “ICCES Tentacle”, to extend security coordination from the national headquarters to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres.
He warned that anyone attempting to threaten or harm ad-hoc staff, NYSC members or permanent personnel would face the full weight of the law.
The chairman also cautioned against fake news and digital disinformation, stressing that the conduct of INEC officials remained central to protecting the credibility of the electoral process.
