The Independent National Electoral Commission has appealed to the Federal Government to promptly release the outstanding portion of its budget to enable it to complete preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the appeal on Tuesday in Abuja at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting, held 100 days before the first ballot.
Amupitan said the timely release of the remaining funds was necessary to ensure that the commission could execute its outstanding activities without disruption.
“We expect the prompt release of the remaining budget to ensure seamless execution of the remaining activities,” he said.
The INEC chairman, however, acknowledged the Federal Government’s support through the timely release of statutory budgetary allocations to the commission.
He said the funds released so far had enabled INEC to meet international vendor obligations, finance the production of election technology, upgrade infrastructure and sustain its operations across the country.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, also urged stakeholders to support INEC, particularly by ensuring that the commission had adequate funding.
“This is a Herculean task,” Mignot said, adding that the EU would continue to support Nigeria’s electoral process without backing any political party or candidate.
He said the EU would deploy an electoral mission to observe preparations for the election, the conduct of the polls and the post-election period before making recommendations.
INEC sets up AI division
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its Information and Communication Technology Department.
He said AI auditing tools were being integrated into the commission’s results verification process under a five-pillar AI Governance Framework, with human oversight remaining mandatory.
The commission is also deploying AI-based anomaly detection tools to monitor database traffic and protect its public portals against cyberattacks and unauthorised alterations.
Amupitan warned that the increasing use of generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake technology could be exploited to spread false election information.
He urged the media to verify election-related information with INEC before publication, stressing that accuracy should take precedence over speed during elections.
INEC to engage 1.4m ad hoc staff
On manpower, the INEC chairman said the commission would require 707,384 ad hoc personnel for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the same number for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on February 6.
This brings the total number of engagements to 1,414,768 across 176,846 polling units.
Amupitan said the number was higher than the approximately 1.2 million ad hoc personnel engaged during the 2023 elections.
He said the National Youth Service Corps would again provide a significant portion of the workforce, noting that more than 70 per cent of ad hoc staff in 2023 were corps members and student volunteers.
The INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff opened on September 18 and is scheduled to close at midnight on November 18.
Voter register hits 103m
Amupitan said the National Register of Voters now contains more than 103 million registered voters following the registration of 10,772,421 new voters during the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
He said the register would be displayed for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, while distribution of the first phase of Permanent Voter Cards to local government centres would also begin on October 9.
The chairman disclosed that 18 of the 22 registered political parties had submitted candidates for the presidential election.
He also said the commission had received the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgment in the case involving INEC and the Zenith Labour Party and was reviewing the judgment.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, urged INEC to enforce the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and comply with the Supreme Court judgment.
Similarly, the Senate Committee Chairman on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong, said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend on the collective responsibility of political parties, candidates, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations and voters.
Representing the Inspector-General of Police, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Francis Idu, said security clearance operations were ongoing in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to address areas of concern ahead of the election.
The National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, commended INEC’s conduct of the Osun State governorship election but urged its officials to remain impartial.
He also called on the commission to engage political parties more extensively before the 2027 polls, stressing that the interest of Nigeria should remain above political differences.
Vanguard
