2027: Amupitan Charges South-South INEC Staff On Impartiality, Accountability

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has charged electoral officials across the South-South geopolitical zone to uphold impartiality, discipline and accountability as the Commission intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan gave the charge on Saturday, 31 October 2026, at the South-South Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he warned that partisanship, negligence, absenteeism and financial impropriety would attract disciplinary action.

The Chairman said the assessment was part of the Commission’s field-based approach to evaluating operational preparedness, identifying gaps and strengthening service delivery ahead of the elections. He cited INEC’s conduct of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States, FCT Area Council elections and 16 by-elections as experiences informing preparations for the nationwide exercise.

He disclosed that the South-South zone has 15,823,550 registered voters, including 3,736,434 in Rivers State, and stressed that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised through administrative negligence or logistical failure.

On electoral technology, Amupitan said the Commission was preparing its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including 57,000 newly procured devices, while auditing electronic result management systems to strengthen transparency in result transmission through the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

Addressing concerns over suspicious photographs on the preliminary voters’ register published online, he said the Commission was examining the records and would take corrective action based on verified findings. He urged the public to participate in the display, claims and objections process ahead of the publication of the final register scheduled for 15 December 2026.

The Chairman also highlighted the logistical challenges posed by the region’s creeks, coastal settlements and riverine communities. He disclosed that INEC had finalised a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Transporters Union to support the timely and secure transportation of election personnel and materials.

On election security, he reaffirmed the Commission’s collaboration with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), emphasising intelligence-led planning and the protection of voters, electoral materials and personnel. He warned that anyone who threatens or harms INEC officials, including National Youth Service Corps members deployed for election duties, would face the full weight of the law.

Professor Amupitan further emphasised strict compliance with electoral laws, regulations and guidelines, while highlighting staff welfare measures, including the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), enhanced salary, hazard and field allowances, and a 150 per cent increase in monthly state office overhead allocations, effective 1 July 2026.

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Rivers State welcomed the Chairman, National Commissioners, fellow RECs and other officials from the six South-South states, describing the meeting as a critical opportunity to assess preparedness and resolve outstanding operational challenges before Election Day.

The REC stressed that credible elections required deliberate planning, adequate logistics, trained personnel, functional technology, effective security coordination and sustained voter education. He also called for stronger collaboration between the Commission’s headquarters and state offices, as well as inclusive participation by women, young people and persons with disabilities.

He urged participants to use the assessment to identify weaknesses, establish priorities and strengthen accountability, noting that the credibility of the elections would depend not only on Election Day activities but also on the quality of preparations undertaken beforehand.

In her presentation, the Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, outlined the objectives of the meeting, including staff motivation, assessment of state preparedness, identification of operational and logistical challenges, and departmental updates on preparations for the 2027 General Election.

She explained that situation reports from the six states would cover election security, training, voter education and stakeholder engagement. Departmental presentations would also provide updates on voter registration and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection, information and communication technology, human resources and election operations.

Mrs. Ajayi highlighted the importance of Electoral Risk Management (ERM) in identifying and mapping potential electoral risk areas to support preventive planning and security coordination. She urged Electoral Officers and other field personnel to cooperate with assessment teams and work closely with the Planning and Monitoring Department to ensure effective tracking of the Commission’s activities and prevent implementation gaps.

She also identified grassroots mobilisation as a key objective, stressing the importance of traditional rulers in encouraging eligible citizens to participate in the 2027 General Election. On staff motivation, she observed that the welfare measures outlined by the Chairman had received a positive response from staff.

The meeting forms part of INEC’s nationwide operational readiness assessment aimed at strengthening coordination, addressing emerging challenges and ensuring that electoral preparations across the South-South zone are completed efficiently and in accordance with the law.

As part of the readiness assessment, presentations were delivered by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi; Director of Voter Registry (VR), Mr. Isah Magaji Gummi; Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Dr. Lawrence Bayode represented Engr. Victor Ikechukwu Igboh, Director of Human Resources(HR), U. M. Bashar represenred by Mrs. Evangeline Ugwa and Director Electoral Operations (Ops), Mrs. Oluyemi Adeyemi Showunmu represented by Mrs. Ayaeze Christina

Representatives of the six South-South states also presented reports on their respective levels of preparedness for the 2027 General Election, providing an opportunity to review operational progress and highlight outstanding tasks and challenges requiring attention.

Professor Amupitan formally declared the South-South Zonal Interactive Staff Meeting and Readiness Assessment open, urging officials to demonstrate integrity, professionalism and commitment to delivering credible, transparent and inclusive elections in 2027.