INEC: Challenges and Preparations for Credible Elections in 2027

In less than 24 months, Nigeria will go through anther circle of ballots, to elect political office holders. The 2023 elections came with many imperfections, culminating in endless complaints and more election petitions. The nation’s election umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), perceptibly bears a lot of the blame, though Nigerian Politicians are sore losers who will challenge elected conducted by angels in the most perfect manner, once they do not win. As the 2027 general elections draw near, what is the level of preparedness of INEC? What mechanisms have they put in place, to ensure that the Commission delivers a free, fair and credible election? Former INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye and Jide Ojo assess the Commission’s readiness and capacity to deliver on its mandate, making suggestions about what steps can be taken to make the upcoming elections credible 

INEC 2027 General Election, How Prepared?

Festus Okoye

The Health of Our Electoral System

The health of democracy and the success of any democratic election, depends on several interrelated variables that interact and intersect with one another. They rely on the character, complexion, structure, and internal democratic processes of political parties. They depend on the strength, independence, impartiality, technological expertise, and electoral ecosystem of the nation. They also rely on the role and nature of the media, as well as civil society groups and organisations. They depend on the character and nature of security agencies, as well as their commitment and loyalty to the national interest. They rely on the ability and willingness of citizens to defend the democratic process, and to cast their votes rationally for their preferred political parties and candidates. They depend on the social and economic forces, and how these forces impact the democratic process. A combination of these variables, affects the fairness and credibility of elections. 

The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act 2022, confer upon the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the exclusive authority to conduct, organise, and supervise certain categories of elections specified in the Constitution. Organising Presidential, Governorship, National, and State Assembly elections, is formidable. This task and challenge occur across 176,846 polling units, 8,809 registration areas (electoral wards), 774 local governments and area councils, 36 States of the Federation, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. 

In the Presidential election on February 25, 2023, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on March 18, 2023, the Commission deployed to 176,606 polling units for 470 elective positions, comprising 1 (Presidential post), 109 (Senatorial posts), and 360 (Federal constituency posts). For the 2023 general election, the Commission deployed 91,382 four-wheeled vehicles, 3,019 boats, and 88,090 motorcycles. The total number of polling unit officials stood at 1,131,814. The Commission accredited 1,574,301 agents for the political parties, 68,057 collation agents, and 28 agents for the National Collation Centre. The task is enormous, and requires the cooperation and understanding of the critical stakeholders in the electoral process.

The Voters’ Register

The Register of Voters serves as the foundation of a credible election. A register that lacks transparency and does not earn the respect of critical stakeholders in the electoral process, cannot facilitate a successful election. Nigeria had 93,469,008 registered voters for the 2023 general election. Since the Continuous Voters Registration Exercise in 2022, many Nigerians have turned 18 and are now eligible to register. Some Nigerians have changed their addresses, while others have lost their Permanent Voters Card. Others have been displaced, and are living in internally displaced persons camps. The Commission must start the Continuous Voters Registration Exercise early, to prevent last-minute rush and confusion. The Commission should also engage in effective and sustained voter education and awareness in partnership with civil society groups and organisations, to avoid repeating past mistakes. Those already registered can only transfer their registration, and cannot register anew. Individuals who have lost their cards may apply for replacements, but cannot register again. 

The Commission must activate the registration portal to reject those who previously registered, and want to manipulate the system. Individuals who have completed multiple registrations should demonstrate patriotism, by surrendering those cards to the nearest INEC office. Both the Commission and critical stakeholders must conduct intensive awareness and education campaigns, during the claims and objections phase. Nigerians need to be patriotic and report any deceased individuals, so that the Commission can remove such names from the register. The portal should also be utilised for this purpose. The Commission must go into the 2027 general election, with an acceptable voter register. 

Voter Accreditation Process 

Nigeria has demonstrated confidence, creative thinking, and global compliance through the gradual integration of science and technology into the electoral process. The retirement of the smart card reader and the introduction of the three-in-one Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, marks a revolution in voter access and accreditation. With the BVAS, the issue of multiple and double accreditation has been addressed. Those with PVC banks and warehouses, disposed of some in the bush and along Federal and state highways. Unfortunately, some individuals equated the BVAS to electronic voting machines, and anticipated that their votes would be transmitted electronically. Nigerians must be informed that under Section 47(2) of the Electoral Act, the BVAS is intended to verify, confirm, or authenticate the particulars of the intending voter. The Commission must conduct rigorous and systematic testing of the BVAS before the election, and ensure that unscrupulous individuals do not replace trained ad-hoc staff with compromised and untrained personnel.

IREV and Result Collation 

The inconvenient truth is that, Nigeria’s collation system remains predominantly manual. The Electoral Act 2022 has paved the way for the introduction of a hybrid system that retains manual collation, while gradually and carefully integrating technology into the electoral process.

For the 2027 election, results from the Polling Units will be sorted, counted, entered into Form EC8A, and transferred to the Registration Area Collation Centre. The results will also be uploaded to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV). It must be emphasised that IReV is not a collation system. To date, the challenges faced by INEC in uploading the 2023 Presidential election results affected public perception of the election. The prevailing view was that, the uploaded results would be collated and entered into Form EC8B. The Commission must continue to educate Nigerians, on its processes and procedures. If this does not happen, individuals pursuing notoriety on social media will continue to spread misinformation and disinformation, harming the electoral process. 

In future elections, the Commission should gradually introduce electronic voting machines, starting with smaller elections. The result sheets from IReV, should continue to serve as a quality assurance measure for the Collation and Returning Officers at the 8,809 Registration Areas (Electoral Wards).

A Toxic Electoral Environment 

The independence and impartiality of the electoral umpire are fundamental to free, fair and transparent elections. However, an independent and impartial electoral umpire is not the only requirement for free, fair and transparent elections. The democratic spirit of the political class and their willingness to submit to the rule of law and due process, are also crucial to the conduct of a good election. The near institutionalisation of a toxic electoral ecosystem before, during and after elections lowers the people’s fidelity to the electoral process. 

In 2019, the Commission suffered 8 attacks on its facilities. In 2020, it increased to 22 and reduced to 12 in 2021, and 8 in 2022. Political parties must organise and train party agents, and not party thugs. In 2023, the political parties collectively deployed 1,574,301 party agents. Some of the parties simply collected the tags and deployed thugs to harass voters and disrupt the polls, in areas they considered hostile to their aspirations. Some presiding officers were harassed and intimidated by marauding thugs. Some political thugs snatched and destroyed the BVAS, destroyed some of them and uploaded nonsense to the IReV. You can only talk of free and fair elections, when voters succeed in going to the polls and exercising their rights in a serene atmosphere. 

Political Parties and the 2027 Election 

The political parties must organise, institutionalise and domicile their parties with the membership. The political parties must be restructured and repackaged, at the ward and local government levels. Party primary elections must be democratic, and not choreographed. Political parties must be returned to the members, and must not remain the property of any individual or godfather. Our parties lack common ideology, and it is one of the drawbacks of our political system. Political parties cannot grow and solidify, when they serve only as vehicles for contesting elections. 

The National Assembly must respond to the present dynamics of our political process, and amend the Constitution. Individuals must not be allowed to change their parties two years before an election, and once elected, a member of the National or State Assembly, Governor or President cannot change party or defect to any party, until the conclusion of the tenure for which the person was elected. Most Nigerian politicians have changed their parties three to four times, since the return to civil democratic rule. Most of the parties share the same ideological orientation. Those who are railing at those who have defected, may still defect to other parties. That is the character of the existing political parties. 

Modelling the Electoral Umpire 

Modelling an electoral empire is a product of a people’s history, culture and experiences. Some countries operate the independent model. Some countries operate a government model, and a mixed model. Some are composed of experts. Some are elected, while some have a mixed composition of experts and nominees of political parties. 

We must be creative in our approach to our electoral system, and avoid a slavish copycat mentality. Some of the people complaining about the lack of autonomy and independence of the electoral management body have, at one time in their current or previous parties, attempted to control and compromise the Commission. Some members of the political elite prefer an independent and autonomous Commission when they are out of power, and a pliant one when they are in the saddle. A Commission made up of experts and representatives of political parties will be a disaster, and cannot function. The present political parties, are electoral machines and all-purpose vehicles. Some of the political parties exist only in name. 

Nigeria needs a body that will sift through applications by persons recommended for appointment, as National or Resident Electoral Commissioners. Such nominees must be completely apolitical, and should not have been associated with any political party for at least five years before their appointment. The National Assembly can still vet the nomination, and the President can still make the appointment. 

What is to be Done?

The electoral management body, must be given the freedom to plan and deploy. Sensitive electoral materials, including ballot papers and result sheets, are not printed on time. Some sensitive materials are embedded with complex security features to avoid cloning. Some sensitive materials are stored in the branches of the Central Bank and transported to the Local Governments and Registration Areas. This accounts for the late start of polls especially in areas with difficult terrain. 

Fidelity to the rule of law, due process and total surrender to the power of the voters will elevate our electoral process. The political elite must banish the weaponisation of poverty for electoral advantage. Bribery and corruption in the electoral process will not solidify our electoral process. 

The National and State Assemblies must conclude work on amending the Constitution and the Electoral Act at least a year before the 2027 general election. A Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission is imperative. An Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal is imperative. 

More importantly, a knowledgeable press and civil society organisations will check the excesses of the political elite and prevent democratic reversals. The Nigerian people must resolve to protect their mandate and eschew temporary gains. 

Festus Okoye, Legal Practitioner; former INEC National Commissioner

Can INEC Deliver Credible 2027 General Elections?

Jide Ojo

Introduction

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is one of the 14 Federal Executive Bodies listed in Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered. It is tasked to, among other things, organise elections into various political offices in the country. The Commission is made up of a Chairman, and 12 National Commissioners. The functions of INEC as contained in Section 15, Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) and Section 2 of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended) include the following:

Organise, undertake and supervise all elections to the offices of the President and Vice-President, the Governor and Deputy Governor of a State, and to the membership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly of each State of the Federation; Register political parties in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and Act of the National Assembly; Monitor the organisation and operation of the political parties, including their finances; conventions, congresses and party primaries; Arrange for the annual examination and auditing of the funds and accounts of political parties, and publish a report on such examination and audit for public information

Others include: Arrange and conduct the registration of persons qualified to vote and prepare, maintain and revise the register of voters for the purpose of any election under this Constitution; Monitor political campaigns and provide rules and regulations which shall govern the political parties; Conduct voter and civic education; Promote knowledge of sound democratic election processes; Conduct any referendum required to be conducted pursuant to the provision of the 1999 Constitution or any other law or Act of the National Assembly. Section 98. — (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 says “The conduct of elections into the offices of Chairman, Vice Chairman and a member of an Area Council and the recall of a member of an Area Council shall be under the direction and supervision of the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this Act”. 

Challenges with INEC’s Electoral Planning 

Thus far, since the beginning of this Fourth Republic in 1999, INEC has conducted seven general elections and scores of off-cycle Governorship elections as well as bye-elections. The General Elections were conducted in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023. The performance of the Commission in the onerous tasks of conducting elections in Nigeria, cannot be unilinearly assessed. This is because of some endogenous and exogenous factors. Internally, the structure of INEC is a vast bureaucracy comprising of the Headquarters in Abuja, 37 State Secretariats (36 States and FCT), as well as 774 Area Council and Local Government offices. The staff strength of INEC is about 16,500. However, during general elections, the Commission relies on over a million ad-hoc staff, comprising of academics and members of the National Youth Service Corps. 

Ahead of every election, INEC engages in huge procurement. It prints millions of ballot papers, result sheets and also buys hardware such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), ballot boxes, Water storage tanks and Electricity Generators for the 8,809 RAC Centres. To do this, the Commission requires billions of Naira. If the needed resources are not made available, it can impact negatively on the performance of the Commission. The printing companies used by INEC, are external to it. Most of the Lawyers used for election litigation are not staff of the Commission. Those who provide election day transport logistics are members of the Road Transport Unions, as the Commission does not have the full complement of the operational vehicles needed to perform its duties. 

Election security is exogenous to INEC. The Commission, though has established a standing Committee known as Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, it relies on the Office of National Security Adviser to coordinate the deployment of members of the Nigeria Police and Armed Forces that will serve on election duty. The Judiciary is also external to INEC, and there are rumblings that court injunctions and judgements given by the Judiciary, too close to election time, do impact negatively on electoral planning. INEC is joined in all pre-election and post-election matters, even when it is not related to election conducted by it. For instance, it is the political parties that conduct party primaries and disqualifies aspirants. Yet, when litigants seek redress in court, INEC is joined as the umpire. The cost of hiring Lawyers to defend the Commission, is very huge. 

Formulation of electoral laws including amendment to the laws is beyond INEC, as it is in the purview of the legislature, especially the National Assembly. The 2022 Electoral Act was passed by National Assembly barely a year to the 2023 General Elections. The Bill was (depends on position being vied for) vetoed about four times, by former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2018 and 2022. As it stands now, National Assembly has started another round of constitutional and Electoral Act alteration, and it is unknown when this exercise will be concluded. If the alterations are done too late, it will impact negatively on the 2027 General Elections.

Nomination of candidates, is totally out of INEC’s hands. Political parties conduct their primaries, and only mandatorily invites INEC as an observer. The Commission is not at liberty to reject any nomination except the person so nominated doesn’t  satisfy the basic constitutional requirements such as being of age (it depends on the position being vied for), academic qualification and membership of a political party. As to the merit or demerit of the conduct of the party primaries, INEC cannot pass a judgement, neither can it reject any nomination by the political parties. 

As it is with every contest or examination, a winner claims to have won while losers will lay claim to have been wilfully failed or rigged out, as in the case of election. Thus, a successful candidate will praise INEC to high heaven to have conducted credible polls, while the losers will pontificate that INEC is the worst institution which should be disbanded and reconstituted. Even when cases are filed in court, the person with favourable judgement will laud their Lordships for a sound judgement while losers will cry foul that the Bench has been compromised. It’s always a dicey situation.

What Will Guarantee Credible 2027 General Elections?

It’s barely two years to the eighth general elections in 2027. Yet, the polity is being heated up by the political class who are already aligning and realigning. There are meetings by opposition party chieftains, to form a new coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress. Furthermore, there are political endorsements, as someone like President Bola Tinubu has already been adopted by his party as the sole Presidential candidate in 2027. Just recently, Friday, June 6, 2025, Governor Umo Eno officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. This is coming on the heels of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State who defected from PDP to APC in May 2025. 

According to Section 28. — (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 “The Commission shall, not later than 360 days before the day appointed for holding of an election under this Act, publish a notice in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory—…”. Thus, until February 2026, INEC will not officially blow whistle on the preparation for the 2027 General Elections. Meanwhile, in the interim, the Commission is planning for the conduct of Anambra Governorship election in November 2025, as well as Ekiti and Osun general elections in 2026. There are also scores of bye-elections the Commission will conduct ahead of the 2027 polls. Before then, the Commission will conduct Continuous Voters Registration exercise, as well as procurement of election materials for the next set of polls. 

Will INEC be able to Conduct Credible Future Elections?

This is a million-dollar question. As enunciated above, credibility of election depends on a number of endogenous and exogenous factors or variables. They must work in sync, to enable the electoral management body deliver credible polls. 

Will INEC get its funding as and when due? Will it be well resourced financially and otherwise? The tenure of the incumbent INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu will end in November 2025. Does anybody know who will replace him? Will he or she be a person of integrity, that will be non-partisan? Civil society organisations are agitating for the INEC Chairman and Commissioners’ positions, to be advertised and subjected to public scrutiny. I do not see the possibility of that happening soon. That method itself, is not foolproof, because even a person of integrity and impeccable character can be muscled by pressure from the executive arm. There is also the issue with appointing non-partisan ad-hoc staff, who will not be swayed by the politicians’ carrot or stick. It is heartwarming that President Bola Tinubu recently made a scape goat of three former Resident Electoral Commissioners of Abia, Adamawa and Sokoto State, when he sacked them in February 2025 due to abuse of office. We have also seen a Professor in Akwa Ibom who was jailed by the court, for aiding and abetting electoral fraud in 2019. This is exemplary conduct, that can make people who will supervise future elections sit up and refuse to compromise. 

Political Parties, Security Agencies, National Assembly, the Judiciary, and even the Executive that provides the funds, must all work to support INEC to succeed. Media, Civil society and the electorate, must provide the needed support to oversight all the key stakeholders in the electoral process. The media for instance also have the additional responsibility of objective and conflict sensitive reportage, while voters should shun violence and vote trading. Candidates must do away with the win-at-all-cost mentality. 

If all these are done, then the horizon will be bright for free, fair, credible and successful polls.

Jide Ojo, Development Consultant, Author and Public Affairs Analyst, Abuja