With 100 days to go before the 2027 general elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have expressed concerns over funding and security. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, called for the prompt release of the commission's outstanding budgetary allocations to enable it to complete critical procurement and logistics. The police, meanwhile, disclosed that the country's security crisis had created pockets of fear in parts of the country.
The North-West region has emerged as the zone with the largest share of Nigeria's 103,428,715 registered voters, following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and biometric clean-up exercise. Lagos remains the state with the highest number of registered voters at 7,488,633, followed by Kano with 6,570,276, Kaduna with 4,662,640, Katsina with 3,876,051, and Rivers with 3,736,434. The lowest figures were recorded in Ekiti with 1,055,708, Bayelsa with 1,200,691, FCT with 1,732,043, Yobe with 1,733,671, and Gombe with 1,768,566.
INEC has identified vote-buying, election-related disinformation, deepfakes, logistical and security challenges, and delays in the release of funds as major challenges that could undermine the credibility of the election. To address these challenges, the commission plans to deploy 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based election-monitoring tools, and mobilise 1,414,768 ad hoc personnel for the 2027 general elections.
The police said security clearance operations were being conducted around Kogi, Niger, Benue, and Taraba states, as part of efforts to stabilise areas considered vulnerable ahead of the elections. Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, said security agencies were already reviewing the country's security situation ahead of the polls, and that the police were deploying operational and tactical assets to prevent the electoral process from becoming a source of violence.
European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, described the 2027 elections as a crucial moment for Nigeria's democracy, urging stakeholders to support INEC in delivering credible polls. Mignot said the mission would build on recommendations from the EU Electoral Observation Mission following the 2023 elections, and expressed the hope that the 2027 elections would produce credible results accepted by stakeholders.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed that political parties submitted 36 presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 election, with 18 of the 22 registered political parties participating in the presidential race. For the National Assembly elections, 21 of the 22 political parties sponsored 1,313 candidates for the Senate and 3,547 candidates for the House of Representatives, bringing the total number of National Assembly candidates to 4,860.
A six-day stress test of the configured devices is scheduled for October 23 to 28, following the commission's establishment of an AI Division within its ICT Department. INEC has taken radical steps to improve the welfare of its personnel, arguing that better remuneration was necessary to strengthen accountability. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong, said the credibility of the 2027 election would depend on the collective responsibility of INEC, political parties, candidates, security agencies, media, civil society organisations, and voters.
Key points
- INEC and police raise concerns over funding and security 100 days before the 2027 general elections.
- North-West region has the largest share of Nigeria's registered voters.
- INEC to deploy new BVAS devices and introduce AI-based election-monitoring tools.
