The House of Representatives has directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, to appear before its Committee on Electoral Matters within seven legislative days to explain preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The lawmakers want the commission to provide details of measures being put in place to prevent eligible voters, particularly those in areas affected by insecurity, from being disenfranchised.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Minority Whip, Mansur Soro, and the Deputy Minority Leader, Abdulsamad Dasuki, during Wednesday’s plenary.
The committee is expected to scrutinise INEC’s readiness in continuous voter registration, Permanent Voter Card (PVC) production and distribution, election logistics, deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Other areas of concern include the recruitment and training of electoral personnel, security arrangements, funding and lessons learnt from the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
The lawmakers also want Amupitan to provide a detailed assessment of the commission’s preparations, including operational challenges and measures to address potential threats to the smooth conduct of the elections.
They further requested information on budgetary allocations, funds released to the commission, outstanding disbursements and the possible consequences of funding gaps for the implementation of the electoral timetable.
The motion’s sponsors had initially proposed inviting the INEC chairman to address the entire House during plenary. However, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu opposed that arrangement, insisting that the responsibility should be handled by the committee constitutionally mandated to oversee the commission.
Kalu argued that inviting the INEC chairman before the full House could undermine the role of the relevant committee, noting that Amupitan had recently briefed the public on the commission’s preparations and challenges.
“While I agree, such oversight should be carried out, I believe that the oversight should be by the committee of the House that has been given this responsibility to do so,” Kalu said.
He added that the committee members were capable of examining the commission’s readiness and holding its leadership accountable.
“Inviting the chairman of INEC to come and brief the House, when he just finished briefing the nation, is not ideal. Don’t we believe in our committees again? Our committees are there, charged with the responsibility. The chairman and members of this committee are well-educated and well-informed to carry out their decisions,” he said.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, clarified that the lawmakers were not opposed to engaging the INEC chairman but maintained that the meeting should take place at the committee level.
“The committee should invite the chairman and should advertise the date of his appearance so that members who want to attend and ask questions can do so,” Abbas said.
Presenting the motion, Soro cited Sections 76, 116, 132 and 178 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, provisions of the Constitution’s Third Schedule and the Electoral Act 2026 as the legal framework underpinning INEC’s responsibility for organising and supervising elections.
He argued that the credibility, transparency and acceptability of the 2027 elections would depend largely on the commission’s ability to address voter registration, logistics, technology deployment, personnel training, security coordination and funding.
Soro also identified the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun as opportunities for INEC to assess its performance in election administration, logistics management, technology deployment, stakeholder engagement and voter participation.
The lawmaker raised concerns about difficulties reported at Continuous Voter Registration centres across the country, including inadequate registration equipment, insufficient personnel, network disruptions, long waiting times and increased demand from citizens seeking to register or update their voter information.
He warned that the challenges could disproportionately affect first-time voters, rural residents, persons with disabilities, students and workers seeking to exercise their voting rights.
“These operational difficulties particularly affect first-time voters, rural citizens, individuals with disabilities, students, and workers, limiting their access to registration and threatening the participation of eligible voters in the electoral process without timely interventions,” Soro said.
He cautioned that failure to address the problems early could disrupt the procurement of election materials, technology deployment, training of electoral officials, voter education and security planning.
According to him, unresolved gaps in voter registration, logistics, technology and funding could weaken public confidence in the electoral process and threaten the peaceful conduct of the 2027 elections.
Soro maintained that the National Assembly had a constitutional responsibility to ensure that institutions entrusted with critical national assignments were adequately prepared, properly funded and held accountable.
While acknowledging INEC’s efforts to improve the electoral system, he called for sustained parliamentary oversight to promote free, fair, credible, inclusive and peaceful elections.
Contributing to the debate, Dasuki said the motion was driven by concerns about the ability of eligible voters in insecure communities to participate in the elections.
“This is the very first time we are going into an election with 11 months of security concerns,” he said.
Dasuki disclosed that members of the House had sponsored about 255 motions on insecurity, arguing that the situation raised questions about whether residents of some constituencies and polling units would be able to vote.
He said INEC needed to explain how it intended to conduct elections in areas where insecurity could prevent voters from reaching polling stations or disrupt electoral activities.
The committee’s proposed engagement with Amupitan is expected to give lawmakers an opportunity to examine the commission’s preparedness, identify outstanding challenges and recommend interventions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
