2027: INEC seeks collaboration with NOA on voter education

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it was desirous of sustaining collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), ahead of the forthcoming Anambra governorship election and the 2027 general elections.

Chairman of the electoral umpire, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, pledged on Wednesday while receiving the Director General of the NOA, Malam Isa Onilu, who paid him a courtesy visit.

The INEC Chairman specifically listed voters’ education and mobilisation as areas of interest in the envisaged partnership with the federal government information dissemination agency.

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He said: “I would like us to explore further areas of partnership through our Voter Education & Publicity and other relevant departments, particularly with the recent creation by the Commission of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division under our ICT Department.

“Another area where we need to strengthen our partnership is voter mobilisation. While INEC will continue its voter education efforts, the NOA should, working with other stakeholders such as the political parties, civil society organisations, and the media, help in the area of voter mobilisation.

“The aim is to increase voter turnout and greater participation of the under-represented demographics in our electoral process, particularly youths, women, and Persons with Disability (PwDs).

“It is for this reason that NOA has been included in the expanded membership of our Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

“The Commission is also making efforts to revamp the National Inter-Agency Committee on Voter Education and Publicity (NICVEP) in which NOA will, again, play an active role.

“Your visit is coming at a critical time in our preparations for the Anambra State Governorship election holding on 8th November 2025, and the 2027 General Election. The nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is scheduled to begin in about three weeks with the online pre-registration of voters on 18th August, followed by the in-person registration on 25th August 2025.”

In his presentation, the NOA DG expressed the hope that partnership with INEC would mitigate lack of awareness and indifference to civic responsibility by Nigerians.

Mallam Onilu emphasised that the NOA will intensify community-level engagement to complement INEC’s efforts in ensuring citizens understand their rights and obligations ahead of the elections.