2027: INEC President warns staff against bias and negligence… as PVC collection begins next week

2027: INEC President warns staff against bias and negligence

…While the PVC harvest will begin next week

From our journalist

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), has warned that bias, administrative negligence and compromised ethics will not be tolerated among Commission staff as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.

Prof. Amupitan made the warning on Monday, September 28, 2026 in Kaduna, declaring open the North West zonal interactive meeting with staff and assessment of preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

The INEC Chairman told the meeting of North West zone electoral officials, heads of departments and senior administrative staff that the Commission will strictly enforce its code of conduct.

“Partisanship, administrative negligence or compromised ethics will not be tolerated,” he said. “Every official must understand that the protection of INEC’s institutional integrity is non-negotiable.”

Professor Amupitan noted that the conduct of field staff is critical to the credibility of any election, saying false narratives only gain ground when the Commission’s administrative execution falters.

“When an election unit opens late, when an official displays nonchalance or perceives bias, or when technical problems are met with silence, we inadvertently validate cynics, deepen voter apathy, and fuel misinformation,” he said.

According to him, “the conduct, competence and character of our field personnel represent our strongest defense against fake news, or its greatest catalyst.”

The INEC Chairman reminded officials of the oath of loyalty and neutrality that Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 requires of all electoral officials and security personnel when taking part in elections. He said the oath commits each official to administering an election without a preferred candidate or political party.

“The question should never be ‘Who will benefit from this decision?’ but always ‘What does the law require me to do?’” he said.

He also cautioned staff against improvisation, saying informal shortcuts are dangerous in election administration. Where the law provides a procedure, whether in the Electoral Act 2026, the Regulations and Guidelines for Conducting Elections 2026 or the Guidelines for Political Parties, he said officials must strictly follow it.

He said that where operational difficulties arise, these should be escalated through formal institutional channels.

Prof. Amupitan stressed that a good legal framework and modern technology alone cannot ensure electoral credibility. “The credibility of an election depends on how faithfully the law is enforced by the officials charged with administering it,” he said.

Addressing employees directly, he described them as the face of the Commission in their communities. “For the voter in a local district, INEC is not the president of Abuja; INEC is you,” he said.

He urged officials to “know the law, understand your responsibilities, remain neutral, document your actions,” adding that every administrative decision must withstand public scrutiny and judicial scrutiny.

The INEC Chairman said the Kaduna meeting was a continuation of a tour of interactive meetings in six zones and assessment of the federation’s preparedness ahead of the 2027 general elections. He noted that the Commission was breaking with over two decades of practice, where zonal preparations of this kind were coordinated through delegated structures or managed at the level of National Commissioners and central directorates.

“I am here with you in person, accompanied by the Commissioners and National Directors, because I firmly believe that the true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is decided on the ground,” he said.

He recalled the performance of the Commission in the recent off-cycle elections, especially the Osun State governorship election, and attributed the achievement to the commitment of the staff. He however warned that “yesterday’s praise raises tomorrow’s expectations”, stressing that the 2027 elections will be a simultaneous national exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the elections for Governor and state Houses of Assembly will be held on Saturday, February 6, 2027.

Regarding the well-being of staff, Professor Amupitan assured participants of the Commission’s commitment to their well-being and safety. He said that the Commission is at an advanced stage of implementing a new salary and benefit package and that, effective 1 January 2026, it has established the Consolidated Electoral Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), which has moved its workforce out of the normal civil service structure. He added that from July 1, 2026, the overhead costs of state offices will be increased by 150%.

He also announced that the Commission has begun the procurement and distribution of new operational collection vehicles, which will be sent to state offices and local government areas nationwide to increase personnel mobility, safety and operational efficiency.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the National Supervising Commissioner for Kaduna, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the Kaduna meeting was the second of the six-zone tour after Lagos, and was designed to rally personnel to organize the best elections in the history of Nigeria.

Commissioner Haruna revealed that the collection of the new permanent voter cards (PVCs) will begin early next month, saying that the INEC Chairman informed the Emir of Zazzau during his courtesy visit to the monarch that the collection of the new permanent voter cards would begin as scheduled and appealed to traditional rulers to encourage eligible citizens to collect their cards and exercise their constitutional right to vote.

He expressed confidence that Kaduna’s commitment would help the Commission’s leadership and management to further strengthen electoral administration ahead of the 2027 national elections.

Director of Planning and Monitoring, Helen Ajayi, said the aim of the zonal exercise was to assess the level of preparedness of states and identify operational challenges ahead of the elections.

He added that the sessions were also aimed at ensuring that staff in the area remained aligned with the Commission’s Code of Conduct ahead of the elections.

Directors and representatives from the Voter Education and Publicity, Voter Registration, ICT, Human Resources and Elections and Operations departments also presented their areas of responsibility and what staff needed to know in preparation for the 2027 elections.