INEC to deploy real-time tracker to monitor 2027 election readiness nationwide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it will deploy a real-time operational tracker to monitor election preparations across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the 2027 General Election.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday, 7th September 2026, while declaring open a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for Administrative Secretaries at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

Prof. Amupitan said the workshop is expected to produce a standardised Excel-based Administrative Secretary Master Operational Tracker Template. The template will be linked to the Commission’s Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) dashboard and the Election Project Plan (EPP).

He noted that the Commission previously did not have a uniform system for tracking the operational duties of Administrative Secretaries, and described the new tool as a step to address that gap.

According to him, the tracker will provide Resident Electoral Commissioners, Supervising National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission and Headquarters with immediate updates on material distribution, ad-hoc staff training and state-level readiness.

“This will enable us to move from reactive responses to proactive management,” he said.

The Chairman added that the tool is designed to remain in use beyond 2027 as part of the Commission’s onboarding and operational framework for Administrative Secretaries.

He said the initiative is part of broader preparations as the National Register of Voters approaches 100 million.

The workshop, he noted, is reviewing five operational areas: Continuous Voter Registration, logistics and material management, electoral technology, ad-hoc staff optimisation, and financial compliance.

Prof. Amupitan said the Commission is building on experiences from recent off-cycle elections, including the Osun State Governorship Election, where logistics and technology worked effectively. He stated that INEC is working to replicate that standard nationally with six months left to the 2027 polls.

In his remarks, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said the workshop came at a critical time in the Commission’s preparations. He commended the European Union, through the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria, EU-SDGN, implemented by Development Alternatives Incorporated, DAI, for supporting the exercise.

Also speaking, the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said the workshop is aimed at ensuring that Headquarters and all states work from the same Election Project Plan. She added that Administrative Secretaries are being updated on new policies, technology and administrative procedures ahead of 2027.

Mrs. Oriaran-Anthony said each state delegation is expected to leave with a logistics risk register, an ad-hoc staff recruitment and deployment plan, a three-month stakeholder engagement plan, and the new tracker template.

The workshop was organised by the Office of the Secretary to the Commission with support from DAI-EU-SDGN. Participants included National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners, the Director-General of the Electoral Institute, Directors from Headquarters, and Administrative Secretaries from the 36 states and the FCT.