The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is decided in the field
By Mmesoma Onwuka
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has directed officials to identify and address operational gaps ahead of the 2027 General Election, warning that avoidable lapses and partisan conduct could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Amupitan gave the charge on Monday in Kaduna at the North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election.
The meeting is part of six zonal engagements being organised by INEC across the country to assess its level of preparedness, identify challenges confronting field operations and develop practical solutions ahead of the 2027 polls.
Speaking at the Kaduna meeting, Amupitan said the exercise was more than a routine administrative engagement, describing it as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system.
He stressed that the success of elections was largely determined at the grassroots, particularly at Local Government Areas, Registration Area Centres and polling units where electoral officials interact directly with voters.
“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is decided in the field,” he said.
The INEC chairman urged staff to use the engagement to openly identify challenges affecting their operations and work with the Commission’s headquarters to resolve them before election day.
He said the Commission was also drawing lessons from recent elections to improve its preparations for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan cautioned personnel against partisan behaviour and administrative shortcomings, stressing that the neutrality, professionalism and conduct of officials in the field would be critical to maintaining public trust in the electoral process.
He disclosed that the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise had produced 10,772,421 new registrations, which are subject to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System.
The chairman also directed officials to address challenges affecting the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards at the Local Government Area level, noting that logistical difficulties must not prevent eligible Nigerians from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
According to him, INEC is also strengthening its technological infrastructure, particularly systems for voter accreditation and verification as well as the transmission and management of election results.
He cited the Commission’s Result Management Systems, including the recently introduced eEC8A, as part of the measures being implemented to improve election administration.
Amupitan further announced that INEC was adopting a “Zero-Failure” logistics strategy ahead of the polls. The strategy, he explained, covers the early deployment and movement of election materials, coordination with security agencies and the training of ad hoc election personnel.
Earlier, the Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Mallam Kudu Haruna, said the zonal meetings were designed to provide the Commission’s leadership with an opportunity to engage directly with staff across the country despite the demanding schedule and limited time remaining before the 2027 elections.
Haruna disclosed that the Kaduna engagement began with a courtesy visit by Amupitan to the Emir of Zazzau, who is also Chairman of the Kaduna State Council of Traditional Rulers.
He said the visit provided an opportunity for INEC to brief the traditional ruler on its preparations for the 2027 elections and seek the support of traditional institutions in encouraging eligible Nigerians to participate in the electoral process.
According to Haruna, the INEC chairman informed the Emir that the collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards would commence as scheduled and appealed to traditional rulers to encourage eligible citizens to collect their cards and exercise their voting rights.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Helen Ajayi, said the zonal exercise was aimed at assessing the preparedness of states within the zone and identifying operational challenges requiring urgent attention before the elections.
She added that the meetings would also ensure that INEC personnel remained guided by the Commission’s Code of Conduct as preparations for the 2027 polls intensify.
Officials from the Voter Education and Publicity, Voter Registry, Information and Communication Technology, Human Resources, and Election and Operations departments also made presentations on their respective areas of responsibility.
The presentations covered voter registration and PVC collection, including completed activities, ongoing processes and outstanding tasks linked to the 2027 General Election.
The meeting later moved into state-by-state situation reports, with representatives from states across the North-West presenting their levels of preparedness and highlighting