Nothing will make us postpone 2027 polls, INEC chair vows

…Says era of late arrival of election materials over

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any plan to postpone the 2027 general elections, insisting that the polls will be held as scheduled.

The Chairman of the commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, said the timetable for the elections had been fixed and would not be altered for any reason, assuring that preparations were already in top gear.

Amupitan stated this on Saturday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, during an interactive meeting with INEC staff members, including Resident Electoral Commissioners from the six states of the South-South geopolitical zone, to assess their preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

His assurance comes amid claims by some political parties that the commission was planning to postpone the general elections.

Addressing the staff, the INEC chairman said the commission was committed to conducting credible elections in accordance with the provisions of the law.

“Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled,” he declared.

Amupitan disclosed that Rivers State would receive special attention in the commission’s preparations for the forthcoming elections because of its strategic position and having the highest number of registered voters in the South-South region.

He gave the number of registered voters in Rivers as 3,736,434, followed by Delta with 3,525,988; Edo, 2,865,263; Akwa Ibom, 2,566,198; Cross River, 1,928,978; and Bayelsa, 1,200,691.

He said the six states had a combined total of 15,823,550 registered voters, adding that the commission would pay closer attention to Rivers because of its electoral significance in the region.

“With the 3,736,434 registered voters for Rivers State, the state leads the South-South. By this, the commission will put more attention to what happens in Rivers State. It is your duty to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures,” he said.

The INEC chairman further disclosed that the commission had received more than 5,000 claims seeking corrections to the voters’ register, including errors in names and dates of birth, as well as over 600 objections.

He said the commission was addressing the complaints to ensure a credible voters’ register ahead of the elections, adding that the final register would be released on 15 December.

Amupitan explained that although the commission had initially considered revalidating the voters’ register after he assumed office, the idea was dropped following concerns that the exercise would be too close to the general elections.

On the commission’s preparedness, he expressed confidence in its capacity to conduct peaceful, transparent and credible elections, citing lessons learnt from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State election.

He said the Osun election recorded the highest voter turnout in the history of off-cycle elections in the country and was adjudged credible locally and internationally despite earlier security concerns.

“Osun State elections gave us the confidence that we can achieve this despite the noise. It is good that we had a series of those elections before the general elections because we learn lessons from every election,” he stated.

He added that INEC would apply the experience gained from the off-cycle elections to improve its preparations for the 2027 polls, expressing optimism that the general elections would be better.

“We will conduct elections that will move the nation forward and not an election that will bring it down,” he said.

On security, Amupitan said the commission was working with relevant security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services, to guarantee the safety of voters, electoral personnel, ad hoc staff and election materials during the polls.

He said INEC would not encourage Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards only to fail to guarantee their safety when they turn out to exercise their franchise.

“We want every part of Nigeria to be calm during the elections so that people can come out to vote. We will not tell them to take their PVCs and then not guarantee their safety,” he said.

The INEC chairman also dismissed concerns that Artificial Intelligence and algorithms could determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections, insisting that Nigerians, through their votes, would decide the results.

“It is the people of Nigeria that will decide the outcome of the elections and not AI or any algorithms,” he said.

He, however, acknowledged the growing cybersecurity threats associated with Artificial Intelligence, noting that the commission would explore ways of deploying technology to protect its systems against possible attacks.

Amupitan said INEC was also working to strengthen the security of its digital infrastructure, assuring that the commission would not allow anyone to undermine its operations.

He urged electoral officials across the South-South to remain committed to their responsibilities, stressing that the credibility of the elections would largely depend on their conduct at polling units and other field locations.

He warned that any commission staff member or ad hoc official, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), found compromising the electoral process would be punished in accordance with the law.

The INEC chairman also warned that anyone who threatened or harmed electoral officials, including corps members deployed for election duties, would face the full weight of the law.

He cautioned electoral officers against partisanship, negligence, absenteeism and financial misconduct, warning that such conduct would attract disciplinary action.

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Meanwhile, Amupitan has assured Nigerians that the delays that marred the delivery of election materials in previous elections will not be repeated in 2027.

He gave the assurance on Friday, 30 October 2026, during a courtesy visit to the palace of the King and Paramount Ruler of Port Harcourt, His Royal Majesty, Barr. Uchechukwu Isaiah Elikwu, Eze Epara Rebisi XII, in Rivers State.

“The era of the past, when elections were supposed to start by 8:30 am but materials sometimes arrived very late, must come to an end,” he said.

He disclosed that the voter threshold for deploying additional BVAS machines had been reduced from 1,250 to 850 voters per polling unit.

“We realise that the true dynamics of democracy are shaped in the field, within our local communities, across riverine channels, at Registration Area Centres and at polling units where citizens exercise their sovereign right,” he said.

He said the commission had prioritised direct engagement with traditional rulers, describing the royal fathers as anchors of grassroots peace, civic engagement and community stability.

He listed the monarchs visited so far to include the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun; the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli; the Ogadagidi I of Edem-An Ogwugwu Ancient Kingdom, Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu; and the Emir of Gombe, Dr Abubakar Shehu III.

Amupitan appealed to the royal fathers to help mobilise residents to collect Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and turn out to vote in 2027, and to educate citizens on the dangers of misinformation, disinformation and artificial intelligence.

In response, Eze Epara Rebisi XII assured the commission of the support of traditional rulers and urged it to remain steadfast, fair and impartial.

“Do the right thing, and we assure you of our support. We will mobilise our people to collect their PVCs and come out to vote. We assure you of our unflinching support,” he said.