INEC Gears Up for 2027 Elections

By Achimi Muktar

With the 2023 general elections behind it, Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is already laying the groundwork for the 2027 polls—and it’s promising a smoother, more efficient process.

A senior INEC official revealed to Saturday Thtrafficng that the commission is actively formulating its Election Project Plan (EPP) for 2027. Lessons learned from 2023’s logistical and technical challenges are shaping this new strategy to ensure a more transparent and reliable electoral process.

What’s Changing?

The commission is updating its election management templates and introducing a new strategic plan for 2027-2031 to replace the current 2022-2026 plan, which will expire in December 2026.

“This new plan will act as a bridge between 2026 and 2027, ensuring continuity and addressing gaps that were not covered in the previous election cycle,” the INEC official explained.

INEC is also refining its Election Project Plan (EPP), a document first introduced in 2015 and updated for each election cycle since then. The EPP focuses exclusively on the general election, ensuring all resources, personnel, and logistics are strategically managed.

Lessons from 2023: Avoiding Past Mistakes

The 2023 general elections saw INEC managing a voter base of over 93.4 million people across 176,846 polling units. To make this happen, the commission deployed over 1.5 million personnel, 182,491 vehicles, and extensive security forces.

Despite these preparations, the election was plagued by logistical delays and technical failures, particularly with the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. While the system successfully uploaded National Assembly results, the presidential election results faced major delays due to a configuration issue that prevented nationwide result mapping.

Following the election, INEC quickly rolled out software updates to fix the issue, ensuring future elections won’t face similar disruptions.

2027: A More Reliable Election Process?

INEC is now focused on:
✔ Strengthening election logistics to prevent delays in result uploads.
✔ Enhancing technology to avoid technical failures seen in 2023.
✔ Improving personnel training for better efficiency.
✔ Ensuring a transparent and credible electoral process.

With planning already in motion, the big question remains: Will INEC finally deliver a hitch-free election in 2027, or will Nigeria face another round of electoral controversies?