2027: INEC identifies voter apathy, disinformation as threats

***Says voter register approaches 100m The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified voter apathy, declining public trust and the spread of misinformation and disinformation as major challenges that could affect the 2027 general elections. The commission said the continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise conducted in three phases between August 2025 and July 2026 recorded 10,772,421 new registrants. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated these on Monday in Lagos while declaring open the South-West Zonal Interactive Meeting and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election. Advertisement Amupitan said the commission was intensifying preparations for the elections through direct engagement with its field personnel across the country's six geopolitical zones. He said the initiative marked a departure from more than two decades of administrative practice in which zonal preparations were largely handled through directorates at the commission's headquarters in Abuja. According to him, the six-zone engagement is aimed at assessing the operational readiness of INEC personnel and identifying challenges that could undermine the conduct of credible elections. The INEC chairman said the true measure of the commission's success would not be determined in meetings at its headquarters, but at the local government areas, registration area centres and polling units where electoral officers would implement the processes. Advertisement He urged staff to remain professional, neutral and competent, stressing that their conduct would be critical to maintaining public confidence in the electoral process. Saying the eyes of 200 million Nigerians, and the world are fixed on commission Amupitan urged INEC personnel to recognise the responsibility placed on them ahead of the 2027 elections. He said the commission was building on lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State governorship election, which he said demonstrated what could be achieved when operational discipline, technical competence and administrative integrity were combined. He however, noted that the 2027 general elections would be significantly more challenging because they would involve simultaneous electoral activities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Amupitan said voter apathy, a lingering trust deficit and the increasing spread of misinformation and disinformation remained key challenges confronting the commission. He added that the competence and conduct of field staff would remain the commission's strongest defence against false narratives and attempts to undermine confidence in the electoral process. On voter registration, the chairman disclosed that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise conducted in three phases between August 2025 and July 2026 recorded 10,772,421 new registrants. He said the figures remained subject to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). According to him, the third phase of the CVR introduced an online registration portal to improve access for eligible Nigerians, while the commission also deployed a new printable Permanent Voter's Card technology during the Osun governorship election. Amupitan said the national register of voters was approaching 100 million and assured Nigerians that the commission would work to ensure eligible voters were not disenfranchised because of logistical challenges in collecting their PVCs. Advertisement He also said INEC was refining its result management systems, including the recently introduced eEC8A, to strengthen the verifiability of election results from polling units through to the national collation centre. The chairman warned against partisan conduct and administrative negligence among commission officials, citing Section 26 of the Electoral Act, which provides for an oath of neutrality by Electoral Officers, Presiding Officers, Returning Officers and security personnel involved in elections. The Lagos meeting is the first leg of INEC's planned six-zone national readiness tour ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.