The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned that continued delays in amending the Electoral Act could necessitate changes to elements of its preparations for the 2027 general elections, even as the commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct the polls.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), raised the concern on Wednesday in Abuja at the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with civil society organisations (CSOs).
Amupitan said INEC had already finalised its election timetable and schedule of activities based on the current legal framework, warning that any alterations to the Electoral Act could have operational consequences.
“While we have made our submissions to the National Assembly, the passage of the amendment may have implications for certain items in our timetable,” he said.
“However, for now, the commission has no choice but to operate within the framework of the subsisting Electoral Act.”
He appealed to CSOs to support efforts aimed at accelerating the amendment process, stressing the need for legal certainty well ahead of the 2027 polls.
“We seek your support in urging the National Assembly to speed up work on the amendment of the Electoral Act,” the INEC chairman said.
Despite the legislative uncertainty, Amupitan assured Nigerians of INEC’s preparedness, announcing plans to undertake a nationwide voter revalidation exercise ahead of the elections.
“A credible register of voters remains the bedrock of free, fair and transparent elections. Accordingly, the commission will embark on a nationwide voter revalidation exercise ahead of the 2027 general election,” he said.
Shifting focus to imminent electoral activities, Amupitan urged CSOs to intensify voter mobilisation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure eligible voters collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
“The ongoing PVC distribution in the FCT will end on February 10, 2026, and we do not want anyone to be disenfranchised,” he said.
He further called on CSOs to monitor political parties and promote peaceful participation, warning against hate speech, vote buying, misinformation, disinformation and election-related violence.
On preparations for the FCT polls, Amupitan disclosed that 1,680,315 registered voters would cast their ballots across 2,822 polling units in the six Area Councils of Abaji, AMAC, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.
He added that 570 candidates are contesting chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship positions, noting that INEC had completed the recruitment and training of ad hoc staff and was configuring Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices for accreditation and result upload to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Amupitan also confirmed that bye-elections would be conducted the same day in Ahoada East II and Khana II State Constituencies in Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo State Constituencies in Kano State.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Tuesday dismissed claims that the National Assembly was deliberately delaying the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Mr Adebayo Balogun, said the delay was procedural rather than political, adding that the proposed legislation is expected to be harmonised next week.
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