The Independent National Electoral Commission has directed its officials to identify and address operational gaps ahead of the 2027 general elections, while maintaining neutrality and professionalism.
The commission also announced that collection of Permanent Voter Cards will begin on October 9, 2026.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the directive on Monday, September 28, 2026, at the North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election in Kaduna.
The meeting is part of a six-zone readiness exercise aimed at assessing preparations, identifying field challenges and resolving them before the polls.
Amupitan urged officials to report operational difficulties in their areas and work with the commission’s headquarters to address them ahead of election day.
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He said INEC was applying lessons from previous elections to its preparations for 2027, with emphasis on preventing avoidable administrative and operational failures.
The chairman warned staff against partisan conduct and negligence, stressing that electoral personnel must remain neutral and professional to sustain public confidence.
The PVC collection exercise follows three phases of Continuous Voter Registration, which INEC said produced 10,772,421 new registrations, subject to biometric verification.
The Kaduna engagement followed Amupitan’s meeting on Sunday, September 27, with the Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, in Zaria as part of the commission’s stakeholder consultations ahead of the elections.
INEC said the zonal assessments would help it identify and close operational gaps before the 2027 polls.