— Says Osun, Anambra polls offer lessons for national elections
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, has told electoral officers that preparations for the 2027 general elections must move into full gear, declaring that “the 2027 General Election is here.”
Amupitan spoke in Lagos at the South-West Zonal Interaction Meeting and Readiness Assessment organised by the commission as part of its nationwide engagement with staff ahead of the 2027 polls.
The Lagos meeting marked the first leg of a six-zone national tour designed to assess INEC’s preparedness, identify operational challenges and obtain feedback from officials across the country.
The INEC chairman said the commission could not afford to approach the 2027 elections as a distant event, stressing that preparations must be driven by lessons from previous elections and practical realities encountered by officials in the field.
“We must confront the election frontally,” Amupitan said.
He noted that the recent off-cycle elections, including the governorship elections in Osun and Anambra States, had provided valuable experience that should be applied to the preparation and conduct of the 2027 general elections.
“Those off-cycle elections have provided us with the mirror through which we can see into the 2027 elections,” he said.
According to him, the commission must critically examine its experiences from those elections, identify shortcomings and make necessary adjustments before the 2027 polls.
Amupitan further emphasised the importance of field operations, noting that the success of an election would ultimately be determined by the effectiveness of INEC officials and processes at polling units and other locations across the country.
“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is indeed decided in the field,” the chairman stated.
The commission is scheduled to conduct the Presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.
Amupitan therefore charged INEC officials to identify gaps in their respective areas of responsibility and work towards addressing them before the elections.
He said the zonal engagements would enable the commission to interact directly with its personnel, review preparations and develop practical solutions to challenges that could affect the electoral process.
The chairman also stressed the need for officials to remain focused on their responsibilities, insisting that the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend not only on decisions taken at the commission’s headquarters but also on their implementation at the grassroots.
Speaking during the engagement, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, also contributed to the discussions on the commission’s preparedness and the challenges confronting election administration in the state.
The South-West assessment is part of INEC’s broader preparations for the 2027 general elections, with similar engagements expected across the remaining geopolitical zones.
