‘Our Allegiance is to Nigerians’ – INEC Boss Declares No Candidate for 2027 Polls

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its institutional neutrality ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that its sole allegiance rests with the Nigerian electorate and the rule of law.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance in Abuja while playing host to the ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission at the commission’s national headquarters. The regional delegation was led by the former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Victor Bockarie Foh.

Addressing the visitors, Prof. Amupitan emphasised that the upcoming polls represent a critical milestone for democratic stability, not just within Nigeria, but across the entire West African sub-region.

“INEC under my watch has no candidate and no political party,” Amupitan stated. “Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation.”

Providing an update on the commission’s readiness, the INEC boss revealed that the national register of voters has officially surpassed 103 million configuration points.

He disclosed that INEC has already completed nine out of the 14 major statutory milestones outlined in its revised election timetable. Among the completed phases are three rounds of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the nationwide physical display of the preliminary register of voters.

The 2027 elections will see a massive deployment of personnel and technological infrastructure across a vast national network, including 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs), 8,809 Registration Areas (Wards) and 176,846 Polling Units.

To ensure seamless execution, INEC has shifted to a field-driven approach, utilizing zonal readiness assessment tours across the country’s six geopolitical zones to evaluate regional preparedness firsthand.

BVAS, IReV, and the New eEC8A Tech Upgrade

On the technological front, Prof. Amupitan confirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) remains central to the commission’s plans for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.

In addition to electronic result management and the existing INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), the commission is introducing the eEC8A electronic verification platform. This new feature is expected to serve as an extra layer of transparency for result verification at the polling unit level.

Regarding security, Amupitan noted that INEC is collaborating actively with various security formations through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to guarantee a peaceful voting environment. He urged ECOWAS to expand its collaboration by deploying long-term observer missions and helping counter regional threats like electoral disinformation.

ECOWAS Mandate on Democratic Governance

The head of the ECOWAS delegation, Victor Bockarie Foh, explained that the fact-finding mission aligns with established regional frameworks for evaluating member states approaching general elections.

Accompanied by the Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division, Mr. Serigne Mamadou Ka, Foh stated that the mission operates under Article 31 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, alongside Article 53 of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework.

According to Foh, the regional body’s assessment is not restricted to INEC’s administrative infrastructure. The delegation will engage with political party leaders, civil society organisations, government officials, and security agencies to gain a holistic view of Nigeria’s political and institutional landscape ahead of the 2027 polls.