By Christopher Akut
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it is taking major steps to strengthen its logistics, infrastructure and technology ahead of the 2027 General Election, including the procurement of 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in his opening remarks at a stakeholder engagement on preparations for the 2027 elections.
Amupitan said the Commission had continued consultations with political parties, government institutions, security agencies, civil society organisations, development partners, the diplomatic community and other stakeholders, stressing that the success of the electoral process was a collective responsibility.
Supreme Court judgment, constituencies
The INEC chairman said political parties, aspirants and members of the National Assembly had drawn the Commission’s attention to the Supreme Court judgment in INEC v. Labour Party, delivered on September 24, 2026.
According to him, the judgment affirmed the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Election.
He said the Commission received the certified true copy of the judgment this month and was currently reviewing it.
Amupitan added that, following the court’s decision restoring previously suppressed constituencies, INEC restored 27 state constituencies between June and August 2026 in Benue, Delta, Jigawa and Lagos states.
He further disclosed that two additional state constituencies—Warri South-West II and Warri North II—had been created in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State to address the longstanding challenge arising from the inability to implement the relevant Supreme Court decision.
He said political party primaries and candidate nominations for the affected constituencies had been completed.
On logistics, the INEC chairman said the Commission had made significant progress in its procurement programme, with several contracts already at the execution, production and delivery stages.
He said contracts had been awarded for the production and supply of 57,000 new BVAS devices, as well as additional voting cubicles and ballot boxes.
“Some of the newly acquired BVAS devices have already been delivered,” he said.
Amupitan added that the delivery of new operational vehicles was also ongoing across the country.
The chairman said construction of dedicated BVAS storage facilities and Local Government Area offices was progressing, while renovation of existing INEC offices was also ongoing nationwide.
He disclosed that the contract for the installation of solar power systems across the Commission’s offices had also been awarded.
According to him, INEC had equally upgraded critical information and communication technology applications and core infrastructure as part of its preparations for the elections.
On election materials, Amupitan said some states had already begun receiving non-sensitive materials.
He added that procurement for the printing of ballot papers and result sheets was almost concluded and progressing towards final contract award.
He assured that INEC’s Procurement Department was closely monitoring suppliers, contractors and delivery schedules to ensure that all procurement activities remained within the Commission’s statutory timelines.
INEC pledges credible 2027 elections
Amupitan reiterated INEC’s commitment to conducting elections that would be credible, transparent and acceptable to Nigerians.
He acknowledged the enormous responsibility placed on the Commission as the nation’s electoral umpire but stressed that INEC could not succeed alone.
He identified political parties, candidates, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations, development partners, the diplomatic community and Nigerian citizens as critical stakeholders in the electoral process.
“Our objective is to ensure that eligible Nigerians are able to exercise their constitutional right to vote freely and that the electoral process is conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law,” he said.
He assured stakeholders that the Commission would continue to engage them as preparations intensify towards the 2027 General Election.
EU pledges support for Nigeria’s democracy
The European Union representative, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS at the engagement reaffirmed the bloc’s support for Nigeria’s democratic process and INEC’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
The EU representative described the elections, scheduled for January and February 2027, as a critical moment for reaffirming the strength of Nigeria’s democracy and giving elected leaders the popular legitimacy required to govern effectively.
He said the EU’s message was primarily one of support for INEC, describing the Commission’s responsibility as a “Herculean task” and urging all stakeholders to facilitate its work, including through adequate budgetary support.
He noted that INEC’s workforce on election day would comprise hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, mostly young people, deployed across the country to conduct the elections.
According to him, these officials deserve the respect and support of Nigerians and other stakeholders.
The EU representative said recent off-cycle elections had shown improvements in citizens’ confidence in the electoral process, citing the recent Osun State election as an example.
He expressed hope that the 2027 elections would produce credible results accepted by all, while urging that any disputes arising from the polls should be resolved through the courts.
The European Union representative said the bloc would again support Nigeria through its Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (SDGN) programme, which strengthens INEC and other stakeholders in the electoral process.
He stressed that the partnership was based on respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and that the EU neither imposed political positions nor supported particular candidates or political parties.
He disclosed that the EU would, following INEC’s invitation, deploy an electoral mission comprising experts who would monitor preparations for the elections, the conduct of the polls and their immediate aftermath.
The mission, he said, would build on recommendations contained in the EU’s 2023 Electoral Observation Mission report.
He added that the EU’s SDGN programme was also supporting civil society organisations to monitor preparations and the conduct of the elections.
The EU representative called on all stakeholders to prevent and combat electoral violence throughout the 2027 election process.
He said the EU would continue to work with the National Peace Committee and other partners to promote peaceful elections.
He identified freedom of expression, peaceful political participation, accurate information and the fight against fake news as important safeguards against political violence, stressing the critical role of the media.
He also called for greater inclusivity in the electoral process, particularly respect for women’s rights and the participation of persons with disabilities.
He assured Nigerians that the European Union would remain a reliable partner in efforts to strengthen democracy in the country.
“INEC, the other stakeholders and, most importantly, the Nigerian people can once again count on the European Union as a reliable partner to do whatever it can to help democracy flourish and grow in this great nation,” he said.
