The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced a six-zone readiness assessment ahead of the 2027 General Election, with its Chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, demanding greater commitment, discipline and operational preparedness from field officials.
Amupitan made the demand in Lagos while addressing Electoral Officers (EOs), Heads of Department (HODs), senior administrative staff and other officials from the six Southwest states at the opening of the Commission’s Southwest Zonal Interaction Meeting and Readiness Assessment.
The meeting, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, marked the first leg of the Chairman’s planned tour of the six geopolitical zones to assess INEC’s preparedness at state and grassroots levels ahead of the 2027 polls.
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
Declaring that “the 2027 General Election is here,” Amupitan charged INEC personnel to confront the challenges ahead “frontally”, stressing the need to translate lessons from recent off-cycle elections into concrete improvements.
He cited the Anambra State Governorship Election, FCT Area Council Election and the recent Osun State Governorship Election as important learning points for the Commission ahead of the national polls.
“Those off-cycle elections have provided us with the mirror through which we can see into the 2027 elections,” the INEC chairman said.
Amupitan said his decision to personally engage field officials was deliberate, noting that the credibility and success of elections depended largely on what happened at the operational level.
“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is indeed decided in the field,” he said.
He therefore urged the EOs and HODs to use the zonal engagement to identify operational challenges, expose gaps and offer practical solutions that would strengthen the Commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
The chairman also stressed the importance of continuous learning, saying shortcomings identified during previous elections must be addressed before subsequent polls.
Amupitan commended INEC officials who participated in the recent Osun governorship election, saying the commendation received by the Commission was largely a result of the commitment of personnel who worked to safeguard the integrity of the ballot and ensure that votes counted.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said electoral credibility was built long before Election Day through early preparation, effective coordination, competent personnel and continuous assessment.
Salami said the readiness assessment should go beyond routine checklists and examine the adequacy of human resources, logistics, infrastructure, technology, electoral materials, security arrangements and stakeholder engagement.
He urged officials across the Southwest to speak candidly about operational challenges, identify weaknesses early and share practices capable of improving the Commission’s overall preparedness.
The Lagos meeting is the first of a series of zonal engagements through which INEC plans to assess operational readiness across the country as it intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election.