Nigeria: Reps Invite INEC Chairman to Brief House on Preparedness for 2027 Elections

Members of the House of Representatives have invited Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to brief them on the commission's readiness for the 2027 general election.

The invitation was sequel to a motion co-sponsored by Mansur Soro (APM, Bauchi) and Abdussamad Dasuki (ADC, Sokoto) during plenary on Wednesday.

Soro, the motion's lead sponsor, told his colleagues that the credibility, transparency, and acceptability of the 2027 elections would largely depend on INEC's preparations, including voter registration, voter education, personnel training, security coordination, and the timely implementation of the election timetable.

He expressed concerns about operational challenges reported at some continuous voter registration (CVR) centres nationwide, including inadequate registration equipment, staff shortages, network disruptions, and long waiting times.

Soro said these challenges could restrict access to voter registration, particularly for first-time voters, rural residents, persons with disabilities, students and workers, if not addressed promptly.

The lawmaker asked lawmakers to invite Amupitan to, within seven days, brief the House on the commission's readiness for the 2027 elections, including progress of continuous voter registration, the status of PVC production and distribution, the readiness of election technology and logistics, and budgetary appropriations.

However, Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker, rejected the demand that Amupitan should brief lawmakers during plenary. Kalu proposed that Amupitan appear before the committee on electoral matters, and any lawmaker may attend the session.