Abuja: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act. Chairman of INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the call during the regular quarterly consultative meeting of the commission with civil society organisations (CSOs).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Amupitan emphasized the importance of early amendment of the Act in the commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections. This includes the timely release of the timetable and schedule of activities for the elections. While the commission has already concluded the timetable for the elections, it awaits the completion of the Electoral Act amendment.
Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, empowers the commission to issue a notice of election not later than 360 days before the date of the poll. The National Assembly is currently working on amendments to the Act, and the commission has made its submission as required. Amupitan assured political parties and the Nigerian public that the timetable and schedule for the 2027 elections would comply fully with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, 2022.
Amupitan also addressed the upcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections, announcing a mock accreditation on February 7 in selected polling units. He disclosed that both domestic and foreign observers had been accredited for the polls, which involve 1,680,315 registered voters across various polling units in the FCT.
The INEC chairman called on CSOs to mobilise FCT residents to collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs) and to monitor political parties’ activities. He emphasized the importance of conducting the elections within legal frameworks and urged against hate speech, vote buying, and misinformation.
On INEC’s readiness, Amupitan stated that non-sensitive materials had been delivered to each area council, and recruitment and training of ad hoc personnel had been completed. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is being configured for accreditation, and sensitive materials will be delivered a day before the election.
Speaking on behalf of the CSOs, Mrs. Grace Jerry pledged continuous support for INEC and urged the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the Electoral Act amendment bill. She stressed the impact of the amendment on INEC’s plans and called for swift action to ensure a smooth electoral process for the 2027 elections.