INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan has warned electoral officers that misconduct during the 2027 general elections will attract sanctions, urging staff to uphold neutrality, follow due process and protect the commission’s institutional integrity.
Speaking on Monday in Lagos at a South-West zonal interactive meeting on 2027 readiness, Amupitan said partisan bias, administrative negligence and ethical compromises would not be tolerated, and that every officer must be guided by the law rather than political considerations.
He stressed that the credibility of the polls depends less on the wording of the Electoral Act or the sophistication of technology and more on how faithfully officials implement legal procedures on the ground.
Key directives to electoral officers
- Zero tolerance for misconduct: Amupitan declared that INEC will enforce its code of conduct, with consequences for any officer whose actions undermine electoral integrity.
- Strict neutrality: Officers must administer elections without favouring any candidate or party, in line with the oath of loyalty and neutrality required under the Electoral Act.
- No improvisation outside the law: Where the law or INEC guidelines prescribe a procedure, staff must follow it; operational difficulties should be escalated through official channels rather than solved through informal shortcuts.
- Documentation and accountability: Every administrative decision must be documented and capable of withstanding public scrutiny and judicial review.
Amupitan said INEC has begun comprehensive preparations for 2027, focusing on technology, voter registration, logistics, staff training and institutional integrity.
- Voter registration: The three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) between August 2025 and July 2026 recorded 10,772,421 new registrants, pending ABIS verification.
- Printable PVCs: INEC introduced printable Permanent Voter Cards during the recent Osun governorship election under Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act, aiming to ensure no eligible voter is disenfranchised by logistics.
- Readiness monitoring: The commission is deploying a real-time election readiness tracker to monitor preparedness across all states and the FCT.
Amupitan’s core message to staff: know the law, understand your duties, stay neutral, document actions and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
