2027: INEC warns 36 states, FCT against election lapses

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned its Administrative Secretaries in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory against operational lapses ahead of the 2027 general election.

The INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the warning on Monday, September 7, 2026, in Lagos while opening a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for the commission’s Administrative Secretaries.

Amupitan said INEC had entered a critical six-month period of preparations for the 2027 polls and urged the officials to ensure uniformity in the commission’s administrative operations.

“We can no longer afford fragmented interpretations of administrative duties or disjointed operational practices from state to state,” he said.

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He directed the Administrative Secretaries to improve coordination and follow standard procedures to prevent administrative lapses from affecting the conduct of the election.

Amupitan described the workshop as an election-focused “operational boot camp” aimed at testing INEC’s readiness and identifying areas that need improvement before the 2027 polls.

He said the commission would apply lessons from recent off-cycle elections, including the Osun governorship election, to strengthen its operations ahead of the nationwide poll.

The INEC chairman also noted that conducting a general election across the country would require a different level of coordination from managing an election in a single state.

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Professor Ayobami Salami, urged the Administrative Secretaries to use the workshop to identify weaknesses in their existing processes and find practical solutions ahead of the election.

Salami also called for better coordination between administrative and technical teams, particularly in the management of personnel, logistics, finance and infrastructure.