INEC Chairman

*** To deploy 1.4m ad-hoc staff in 176,000 polling units

*** Political parties earmark over N2.3bn for advertorials

*** APC to spend 70% of the total sum

By Williams Orji

As major political parties in Nigeria begin their political party campaigns today, Wednesday, August 18, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has announced plans to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide for the 2027 General Election, as the electoral body moves into full-scale preparations for what is expected to be one of the country’s largest and most logistically demanding elections.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja when he received a Pre-Election Assessment Mission delegation of the International Republican Institute (IRI), led by former United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Jendayi Frazier.

Amupitan said the Commission had drawn important operational lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, as well as legislative by-elections, which he described as “live operational stress tests” for INEC’s technology, logistics and security coordination systems.

This is as economists and other stakeholders are worried on the estimated amount of money, alleged to be the money political parties had mapped out to spend as campaign funds, in their ability to convince and equally sway voters and potential voters to their sides come January 2027, when the presidential election is scheduled to hold in the country.

Amongst the major political parties that have billed to spend more funds for campaigns include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress ADC and Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC, respectively, with other minor political parties also set to spend in small measures just to be noticed.

According to some political watchers, the kick off of the campaigns in major media platforms including door-to-door campaign and open campaign rallies will attract major chunk of the advert budget of the parties.

An economist based in Abuja, Dr.Ikenna Okwali, said this year’s campaigns and other related issues concerning wooing possible voters to their camps, will mark another milestone in political funding in the history of Nigeria.

“We are in an era where there are so much money in the hands of these politicians, especially those in the ruling party. This is neccesitated by some economic measures introduced by the present administration led by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, which have seen many state governors, federal government agencies getting more allocations from the federal accounts. So, it is normal in Nigeria context to see a lot of money running into billions of naira being channeled to run the coming campaigns, especially that of the presidential election.”

He enthused that already the economic is beginning to affected by the amount of money being stacked away for the primary purpose of using such funds for advert and other campaigns.

Dr. Okwali, who spoke to our Reporter in his office said that already over N2.3trn have been set aside by these parties to canvass for votes as the campaigns start on Wednesday.

As we speak he ruling party like APC has all the financial capacity to run their campaigns seemlessly. They have the funds, they control the treasure. Almost all the governors are in their party. So, tell me how such party will not budgets huge sums of funds to execute their campaigns including buying the best advert spaces in the media landscape.

A media consultant, Chief Aheghigbe Omehie mentioned major social media platforms, major television and radio stations as would-be major beneficiaries of the funds to be expensed by these parties, with APC dolling more funds to oil their campaigns machinery.

“I tell you, APC will outsmart others in campaign spending. When you look at the caliber of politicians in their camp, of course you will know that the election is already won, if that will determine the success or otherwise of the election outcome.”

To Aminu Umar, a chieftain of APC, ” our great party is fully prepared to seal smoothly as these campaigns start tomorrow (today). We have the financial warchest to withstand any challenge that may come up during the campaigns.

” APC has the financial muscles to match even the opposition parties combined. Our finances are running in billions in readiness for the campaign kick-off.”

An opposition politician from ADC Shuaibu Mohammad opined that his party, the APC is equally fully prepared to fund its campaigns using all the available medium including the social media. He said that ADC will march APC in all fronts interns of all advert campaigns including door-to-door campaign.

However, the INEC chairman said the Commission is now directing its full institutional attention towards the 2027 elections, with preparations focused on strengthening voter registration and verification, improving logistics, expanding accessibility and deploying technology to protect the integrity of the electoral process.

He noted that INEC’s experience in recent elections has demonstrated the increasing reliability of its technological systems, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic transmission and public display of polling-unit results through the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

Amupitan added that the real-time public display of Polling Unit Result Sheets, Form EC8A, had achieved upload rates of more than 98 per cent in recent off-cycle elections.
“Technology has permanently closed the door on legacy voting vulnerabilities, ensuring that the ballot box alone determines electoral outcomes,” the INEC chairman declared.

The assertion represents one of the strongest indications yet of the Commission’s confidence in the technological architecture that will underpin the 2027 elections, following years of controversies surrounding election result management, accreditation and transmission.

He said, ” On behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it gives me great pleasure to warmly welcome Ambassador Dr. Jendayi Frazier and the distinguished members of the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Pre-Election Assessment Mission (PEAM) to the Commission’s Headquarters. For decades, the IRI has remained a dependable global partner in strengthening democratic institutions, fostering electoral integrity, and supporting electoral management bodies across Africa. We deeply appreciate your sustained interest and constructive engagement with Nigeria’s democratic journey

“Your visit from August 11 to 21, 2026, comes at a uniquely pivotal moment in our electoral calendar. Just three days ago, on Saturday, 15th August 2026, the Commission successfully conducted the Osun State Off-Cycle Governorship Election. Furthermore, tomorrow, Wednesday, 19th August 2026, marks the official statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 General Election. Therefore, your mission is both timely and strategic, providing an independent lens on our operational environment as we transition into full-scale national preparations”

He noted further that the Commission has utilised off-cycle gubernatorial elections (including recent polls in Ekiti and Osun, as well as several legislative by-elections) as live operational stress tests for its technological architecture, field logistics, and security coordination frameworks.

“The performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for dual biometric verification and the real-time public display of Polling Unit result sheets (Form EC8A) on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal continues to demonstrate high operational reliability, achieving upload rates above 98% in recent off-cycle contests. Technology has permanently closed the door on legacy voting vulnerabilities, ensuring that the ballot box alone determines electoral outcomes.

“As we turn our full institutional focus toward the 2027 General Election, the Commission is scaling its administrative capacity to manage an unprecedented logistical operation. In 2027, INEC will deploy a workforce of approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 Polling Units nationwide.

Our ongoing operational roadmap includes:

“Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) & Register Audit: Utilising the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to eliminate duplicate records and maintain a clean, verified voter roll.

“We are equally clear-eyed regarding the systemic challenges confronting our democratic space. Security risks, localised electoral violence, vote-buying, and the rapid proliferation of hate speech, disinformation, and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) pose direct threats to voter confidence. To mitigate these risks, INEC works closely with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), alongside anti-graft agencies (EFCC and ICPC), to enforce election laws, monitor campaign finance violations, and prosecute electoral offenders.”

He emphasize that INEC views international election observation missions not as critics, but as invaluable institutional partners. The objective insights, risk analyses, and recommendations provided by pre-election missions like yours help us refine our operational strategies, identify blind spots, and build public trust. You can be assured of the Commission’s unreserved transparency, open door policy, and full cooperation throughout your engagement in Nigeria and ahead of your International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) for the 2027 General Election.

“As an electoral management body, INEC holds no preference for any political party or candidate. Our sole mandate is to serve as an uncompromising, impartial umpire dedicated to delivering a free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive election that reflects the sovereign will of the Nigerian people,” he reaffirmed

In another development, INEC said it has projected that Nigeria’s registered voting population will surpass 100 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC national commissioner and chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee , Mallam Mohammed Haruna,disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja.

Haruna, who spoke at INEC “Joint Implementation Meeting of the Departments of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) and Gender and Inclusivity (G&I) for the 2027 General Elections,” explained that with the previous voter register standing at over 93 million, it is expected to cross 100-million when the just concluded nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is finalised, placing Nigeria as the largest electoral democracy in Africa.

The meeting was to draft the communication and inclusivity roadmap for the 2027 General Election, to ensure the elections were free, fair, credible, peaceful, and inclusive.

He tasked INEC information officers with delivering effective publicity to mobilise all eligible citizens.

“Our job is to give the widest and most effective publicity to all five sets of elections to mobilise all Nigerians of voting age to choose their leaders. This job is at once simple and complex,” he said.

He noted that managing communication for over 100 million voters requires high professional standards, urging information officers to equip themselves with relevant skills and basic legal frameworks.

“We must also be well-informed on other relevant legislation like the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts,” Haruna said.
He added that building on the success of recent off-cycle elections including Osun demanded harder work to deliver the freest and most credible general elections in the country’s history.

In his remarks, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Adedayo Oketola, reiterated the commission’s commitment under Prof. Joash Amupitan to credible and inclusive elections, as well as implementation of the outcome of the meeting.
Oketola described the joint meeting as timely and vital for drafting an actionable communication and inclusivity roadmap.

He said that while technological infrastructure and operational logistics form the backbone of electoral administration, the two departments constituted the human face and voice of the INEC.

“You build public trust, simplify complex procedures, and ensure that no eligible citizen is left behind,” Oketola said.

He, however, warned that the communication landscape leading into 2027 presents threats such as misinformation and disinformation aim to undermine voter confidence and fuel apathy.

“The antidote to disinformation is proactive, factual, and continuous public engagement.
“Our messaging must move beyond traditional announcement-style publicity into aggressive, daily civic education that demystifies our technology, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Results Viewing (IReV), and reinforces the integrity of the open secret ballot system,” he said.

On gender and inclusivity, he reiterated that electoral access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women, youths, and elderly voters remained a constitutional right.
“From the deployment of Braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses to prioritising vulnerable queues and expanding youth participation through Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), 2027 must set a new benchmark for electoral access in Nigeria,” he said

The Director of VEP, GVictoria Eta-Messi, said that INEC grassroots reach with regard to voter sensitisation and enlightenment depends largely on the capacity and efficiency of the heads of department, VEP who were expected to be drivers of the programmes in their respective states.

Eta-Messi said that the implementation meeting provides clarity and direction for uniformity in task execution.
“The off-cycle governorship elections are out of the way, and what lies ahead is the 2027 general election, and going by the line of activities of both departments, this meeting takes precedence and sets the tone for what lies ahead.

“This meeting will therefore provide a platform for both departments to walk participants through the commission approved activities, highlight the strategies for implementation, and ensure that the timelines and expectations are clearly understood.
At the meeting were heads of departments of of VEP and G&I across the 36 states and the FCT.