The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the 100-day countdown to the 2027 general elections, with Lagos State recording the highest number of registered voters as the North-West geopolitical zone emerged as the most represented region.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday at a world press conference in Abuja, where he provided an update on the commission’s preparations for the elections scheduled for January 16 and February 6, 2027.
Amupitan said INEC had completed nine of the 14 critical milestones contained in its revised timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.
He said the commission had translated the statutory timetable into an operational plan covering its headquarters, departments and directorates, 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and offices across the 774 local government areas.
The commission’s briefing came as stakeholders, including the police, European Union and National Assembly, pledged support for the electoral body ahead of the polls.
Security, misinformation and the implementation of recent judicial decisions also featured prominently at the meeting.
Lagos leads register
Amupitan said the total number of registered voters ahead of the 2027 elections stood at 103,428,715.
Lagos topped the state-by-state breakdown with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.
Katsina ranked fourth with 3,876,051 voters, followed by Rivers with 3,736,434, Oyo with 3,588,111, Delta with 3,525,988, Benue with 3,057,225, Ogun with 3,037,981 and Bauchi with 3,012,547.
Ekiti had the lowest number of registered voters at 1,055,708, followed by Bayelsa with 1,200,691.
The Federal Capital Territory recorded 1,732,043 registered voters, while Ondo had 1,733,641 and Gombe 1,768,560.
By geopolitical zones, the North-West led with 25,083,411 registered voters, followed by the South-West with 19,614,274 and North-Central with 16,965,787.
The South-South recorded 15,823,550 voters, while the North-East had 13,965,475 and the South-East 11,976,218.
The North-West therefore had 5,469,137 more registered voters than the South-West.
On the demographic profile of the register, Amupitan said male voters numbered 53,528,218, representing 51.75 per cent, while female voters accounted for 49,900,497, or 48.25 per cent.
Voters aged between 35 and 49 constituted the largest age group, with 43,265,946 voters, representing 41.83 per cent of the register.
They were followed by voters aged 18 to 34, who numbered 29,777,576, representing 28.79 per cent.
Those aged 50 to 69 accounted for 22,982,900 voters, or 22.22 per cent, while voters aged 70 and above numbered 7,402,291, representing 7.16 per cent.
The commission recorded 232,658 persons with disabilities across 10 categories, representing about 0.23 per cent of the total register.
INEC said the voter register would be displayed for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, 2026, in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC deploys AI
As part of measures to strengthen the credibility of the 2027 elections, INEC has established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department to detect anomalies in election results and counter disinformation.
Amupitan said automated AI auditing tools had already been integrated into the commission’s results verification process under a five-pillar AI governance framework, with mandatory human oversight.
He said the commission was also finalising an AI governance policy and working with international technology partners to strengthen its anomaly-detection capabilities.
The commission expressed concern over the growing use of generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake videos to fabricate the voices of election officials, result sheets and other official documents.
Amupitan warned that the threat extended beyond individual falsehoods, saying convincing fabricated content could undermine public confidence in genuine information from constitutional authorities.
He said INEC would combine technology with public education and collaboration with the media to tackle the threat.
The INEC chairman also urged journalists to deploy digital forensic tools and verify election-related information before publication.
He cautioned media organisations against publishing privately collated results or premature declarations, stressing that the authority to declare election results rests exclusively with the commission.
57,000 BVAS
Beyond its AI initiative, INEC said it was upgrading its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, conducting nationwide audits and stress tests, and planning a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November.
The commission is expected to deploy 57,000 newly procured BVAS devices for voter verification and other election-related processes during the polls.
INEC also said it would establish a situation room for real-time monitoring before, during and after the elections.
Training and technical support for election personnel, the commission added, would continue into 2027.
Police on security
The Nigeria Police Force has assured Nigerians that it is working with other security agencies to stabilise areas affected by security challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, represented by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Police Mobile Force, Alinyenu Idu, said the Force had activated operational and tactical assets to assess security threats and protect voters, election materials and collation centres.
He said security planning would cover the entire electoral process, from polling units and the movement of election materials to collation centres and the final declaration of results.
According to him, the police would rely on legitimate authority rather than “power” in regulating the conduct of the elections.
Idu said the security situation had created pockets of fear in some parts of the country, adding that the police were working to stabilise affected areas and ensure that citizens could participate freely in the electoral process.
He said clearance operations were ongoing in parts of Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to address security threats ahead of the polls.
Idu said the police would review their preparations by November and provide Nigerians with a comprehensive update by the end of December.
EU Backs INEC
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, pledged continued support for Nigeria’s electoral process, describing the 2027 elections as an opportunity to reaffirm the strength of the country’s democracy.
Mignot said credible elections would provide elected leaders with the popular legitimacy required to discharge their mandates over the next four years.
He urged stakeholders to support INEC and ensure that the commission had the resources required to conduct the elections.
According to him, INEC would be represented on election day by hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, many of them young people, who would be deployed across the country to conduct the polls.
He said the commission faced the continuing challenge of rebuilding citizens’ confidence in the electoral process, particularly following recent off-cycle elections.
Mignot said credible results accepted by stakeholders would help reduce post-election tensions.
He disclosed that the EU would again deploy an electoral observation mission to Nigeria comprising experts who would monitor preparations for the election, the conduct of the polls and the immediate aftermath.
The mission, he said, would build on recommendations from the EU’s 2023 Electoral Observation Mission.
He urged political parties, candidates, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations and citizens to play their respective roles in ensuring credible elections.
The EU representative also called on stakeholders to prevent electoral violence and promote accurate information, stressing that the media had an important role to play in countering misinformation.
He further stressed the need for an inclusive electoral process, particularly respect for the rights of women and persons with disabilities to participate.
Senate pledges support
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong, said the National Assembly remained committed to supporting improvements to Nigeria’s electoral framework and democratic institutions.
He said the legislature had a responsibility to provide the legal and institutional framework for the administration and continuous improvement of elections.
Lalong, however, said electoral credibility was a collective responsibility involving political parties, candidates, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations, voters and other participants.
He urged political parties and candidates to respect electoral rules, engage on issues and conduct themselves peacefully.
The senator also called on the media to maintain accurate, balanced and responsible reporting to strengthen public understanding, counter misinformation and promote confidence in democratic institutions.
He said the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters would continue to engage INEC and other stakeholders on legislative and institutional issues affecting the electoral system.
INEC reviews judgment
Meanwhile, INEC said it was reviewing the Supreme Court judgment concerning the Electoral Act and its implications for the conduct of the 2027 elections.
The commission said the review was necessary to ensure that its timetable and preparations remained aligned with the legal position established by the apex court.
Amupitan said INEC had received complaints from political parties, aggrieved aspirants and the National Assembly drawing attention to the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party.
He said the judgment affirmed the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld the commission’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election.
“We only received the certified true copy of this judgment this morning, and it is being reviewed,” he said.
The development comes amid continuing legal and institutional discussions over aspects of the electoral framework ahead of the polls.
1.4m ad hoc staff
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC would engage 1,414,768 ad hoc personnel for the two phases of the 2027 general elections.
He said 707,384 personnel would be required for the Presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027, with the same number to be deployed for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on February 6.
The figure represents an increase from the approximately 1.2 million ad hoc personnel engaged during the 2023 general elections.
According to Amupitan, the 1,414,768 personnel would be deployed across 176,846 polling units nationwide.
With 100 days to the presidential and National Assembly elections, INEC said its remaining preparations would focus on completing outstanding milestones, testing election technology, strengthening security coordination, training personnel and ensuring that the voter register was subjected to public scrutiny.
Source: punchng.com
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