The Independent National Electoral Commission has introduced a real-time readiness tracker to monitor election preparations and the distribution of materials ahead of the January 16 and February 6, 2027 general elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday at a workshop for Administrative Secretaries from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in Lagos.
Amupitan said the technology would provide Resident Electoral Commissioners, supervising national commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission and its headquarters with instant updates on material distribution, ad-hoc staff training and the level of preparedness in each state. He said the system was designed to replace reactive responses to operational problems with proactive management.
According to him, the tracker would also serve as a permanent operational blueprint for future Administrative Secretaries beyond the 2027 elections. He said the commission was developing a standardised, Excel-based Administrative Secretary Master Operational Tracker Template linked to its Election Monitoring and Support Centre dashboard and Election Project Plan.
Amupitan said INEC would build on improvements recorded during recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, as well as legislative and FCT council polls. He noted that ineffective distribution of electoral materials had historically been a major challenge during national elections, but said the recent polls had demonstrated improvements in logistics and operational coordination.
The INEC chairman also identified voter apathy, public distrust and the spread of misinformation and disinformation as major challenges ahead of the 2027 elections. He warned electoral officials against manipulating results, taking shortcuts or interfering with electoral processes, stressing that staff found guilty of such infractions would face consequences.
Amupitan said the commission was reviewing five operational areas, including logistics and materials management, electoral technology, ad-hoc staff optimisation, financial compliance and Continuous Voter Registration. He disclosed that CVR conducted between August 2025 and July 2026 produced 10,772,421 new registrants, subject to Automated Biometric Identification System verification, while the National Register of Voters was approaching 100 million.
He said INEC was also refining its result management systems, including the eEC8A, while working to make PVC collection more seamless. The commission is also finalising a new salary and welfare structure for staff, including the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure and increased state overhead allocations. INEC officials said the Lagos workshop would help align state and national offices on election plans, identify operational risks and strengthen preparedness across the Southwest ahead of the 2027 polls.
