The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has charged the commission’s Administrative Secretaries across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to adopt strict operational discipline and eliminate ambiguity in preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan gave the charge on Monday in Lagos while opening a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for the Administrative Secretaries, whom he described as the “engine room” of INEC’s state-level operations.
He said the successes recorded in recent off-cycle elections, particularly in Osun State, must be scaled up and established as an “unbreakable national standard” ahead of the 2027 polls.
To strengthen preparedness, the commission is introducing an Administrative Secretary Master Operational Tracker Template, a data-driven tool that will provide real-time information on the readiness of INEC’s state offices. The tracker will be linked to the Election Monitoring and Support Centre to enable the commission’s headquarters to monitor the distribution of election materials and staff training across states.
Amupitan said the system would move the commission from reactive management to proactive planning by ensuring potential operational challenges were identified and addressed before affecting election delivery.
“If you tolerate shortcuts, shortcuts will multiply. If you tolerate political interference, neutrality will deteriorate… Your responsibility is to build an administrative culture capable of delivering a credible election.”
The workshop will focus on five critical areas, including voter registration and Permanent Voter Card distribution, logistics and election materials management, electoral technologies such as BVAS, IReV and CROMS, human resources, and financial compliance.
Amupitan urged the Administrative Secretaries to identify state-specific bottlenecks, challenge existing assumptions and ensure their offices were fully prepared for the 2027 elections.
According to INEC’s timetable, the general elections will commence on January 16, 2027, with the final register of voters scheduled for publication on January 11. The presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for March 6.
Campaigns are expected to end on February 18, with a possible presidential run-off scheduled for February 28.