2027: INEC chairman tasks staff on neutrality, security, operational readiness

…Says 13.9m voters in North-East must not be disenfranchised

By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has charged electoral officials across the North-East to uphold strict neutrality, strengthen operational preparedness and ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised in the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan gave the charge on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at the North-East Zonal Interactive Staff Meeting and Operational Readiness Assessment for the 2027 general elections held in Gombe State.

He said the credibility of the forthcoming elections would depend largely on the professionalism, integrity, punctuality and preparedness of electoral personnel at polling units, ward collation centres and local government offices.

The INEC chairman warned that administrative negligence, logistical failures, partisan conduct and poor communication could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and provide opportunities for the spread of misinformation.

According to him, the commission’s nationwide readiness assessment was designed to identify operational gaps, assess the preparedness of personnel and strengthen institutional capacity ahead of the elections.

Amupitan explained that the North-East engagement followed similar exercises in the South-West, North-West and South-East geopolitical zones, adding that the commission’s leadership had undertaken physical inspections of electoral facilities in Gombe as part of its efforts to evaluate preparedness on the ground.

He disclosed that the leadership had visited the palace of the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji (Dr.) Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, CFR, and inspected INEC’s zonal store and Gombe Local Government Area office.

He said the inspections were necessary to establish the commission’s actual level of preparedness rather than rely solely on administrative reports from headquarters.

“The true integrity of an election is not determined in conference rooms in Abuja; it is forged in the field,” Amupitan said, stressing that the conduct of electoral officials at the grassroots would ultimately shape public perceptions of the 2027 polls.

13.9 million voters in North-East.

Highlighting the electoral significance of the North-East, the INEC chairman disclosed that the zone accounted for 13,965,475 registered voters across Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe and Yobe states.

The figure, he said, represented approximately 13.51 per cent of Nigeria’s registered voter population of more than 103 million.

A breakdown presented at the meeting showed that Bauchi State had 3,012,547 registered voters, followed by Borno with 2,765,165, Adamawa with 2,431,146, Taraba with 2,254,380, Gombe with 1,768,566 and Yobe with 1,733,671.

Gombe State, with 11 local government areas, 114 registration areas and 3,311 polling units, was described as an important operational centre for electoral logistics and regional coordination.

Amupitan stressed that the figures represented millions of citizens whose constitutional right to choose their leaders must be protected through transparent, secure and efficient electoral administration.

He urged officials to eliminate administrative bottlenecks, improve the distribution and collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and ensure that logistical shortcomings did not prevent eligible Nigerians from participating in the elections.

INEC intensifies preparations for 2027.