2027: INEC targets 7:30 a.m. readiness at polling units

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is working to ensure election officials and materials arrive at polling units by about 7:30 a.m. during the 2027 general elections.

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It identified logistics and transportation as key areas of focus.

Wilfred Ifogah, deputy director of information at INEC, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking on AIT’s Kakaaki programme on the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

Mr Ifogah said the commission’s chairman, Joash Amupitan, had emphasised that election officials and materials should not arrive late at polling units.

He noted that delays could create tension and suspicion among voters.

“If you don’t, you find out that it creates tension and a lot of suspicion here and there,” Mr Ifogah said during the programme.

INEC’s official election calendar currently lists 16 January 2027 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and 6 February 2027 for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

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Lessons from recent elections

The planned early deployment comes against the backdrop of delays recorded during some recent elections.

During the August 2026 Osun State governorship election, Yiaga Africa reported that INEC officials had arrived at 78 per cent of the 300 polling units it observed by 8:30 a.m.

The organisation said the figures provide an early indication of preparedness and the pace of commencement of electoral activities across the polling units under observation.

INEC guidelines require election officials to arrive at their assigned polling units at least one hour before voting begins. For the Osun election, where voting was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., officials were expected to arrive by 7:30 a.m.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported concerns over the late movement of sensitive election materials ahead of the Osun election after INEC was required to reprint ballot papers and result sheets following the late inclusion of a candidate in the election.

Mr Ifogah said INEC had reviewed its experience from recent off-cycle elections, including the Anambra, Federal Capital Territory and Ekiti elections, to identify logistical challenges and improve its preparations for the 2027 general elections.

According to him, the commission is also engaging transport unions, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, to improve the movement of personnel and election materials.

Mr Ifogah said INEC was developing a transport matrix to address logistical challenges during the elections.

Movement of materials, personnel

Mr Ifogah explained that the commission’s Registration Area Centre arrangement would also help reduce delays by moving election personnel and materials closer to polling units a day before the election.

Under the arrangement, he said, materials and personnel would no longer have to travel from local government INEC offices to polling units on election morning.

He also said the commission had introduced digital platforms to track the movement of election materials, including when they leave, who is responsible for them and when they arrive at their destinations.

“If it’s not done, it is escalated, and you find out who is responsible and actually what led to it. So these are things that probably were not happening before, that we have brought in place now,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that achieving 100 per cent timely deployment could be difficult because of unforeseen circumstances, including difficult terrain and other logistical challenges.

More comments

Mr Ifogah added that the commission would also replace officials where poor performance was linked to human or administrative factors.

The comments came a day after INEC released details of the latest voters’ register, which now contains 103.43 million registered voters. Voters aged 35 to 49 form the largest group, with 43.27 million registered voters, followed by those aged 18 to 34 with 29.78 million.

The register also contains 232,658 persons with disabilities across 10 categories. Male voters account for 53.53 million, or 51.75 per cent, while female voters number 49.90 million, representing 48.25 per cent.

Jake Epelle, founder of TAF Africa Foundation, who also appeared on the programme, said INEC’s preparations would ultimately be judged by how well the commission implements its plans.

Mr Epelle said logistics remained one area that could affect the election’s credibility, urging INEC to have contingency plans for possible failures by transport providers.

He also called for greater attention to persons with disabilities, saying the number recorded on the voters’ register should prompt more efforts to ensure their participation in the elections.

INEC said the register also contains 232,658 persons with disabilities, spread across 10 categories. Those classified under “others” constitute the largest category, with 101,183 voters, representing 43.49 per cent of registered persons with disabilities.

Mr Epelle commended INEC’s plan to provide sign language interpreters for voters with deafness.