2027: INEC Has No Preferred Candidate or Political Party – Amupitan

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the electoral body has no preferred candidate or political party ahead of the 2027 general election.

Amupitan said the commission would remain neutral and uphold its constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections across the country.

He gave the assurance in Abuja while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh.

According to him, INEC is committed to providing a level playing field for all political parties and candidates, regardless of their affiliations.

The INEC chairman said the commission had intensified preparations for the polls, noting that readiness assessments were ongoing across the six geopolitical zones.

He disclosed that the elections would involve 8,809 registration areas and 774 local government areas, adding that Nigeria’s voter register now exceeds 103 million.

Amupitan also said the commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones contained in its revised election timetable.

On election technology, he said INEC would deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation, alongside its electronic result management systems.

He added that the commission had introduced the eEC8A electronic verification platform to strengthen the result management process and complement the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The INEC chairman further stated that the commission was working with security agencies to ensure adequate protection during the elections.

Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS delegation, Foh said the mission was aimed at assessing Nigeria’s preparedness for the 2027 polls and identifying areas where the regional body could provide support in promoting credible elections and democratic governance.