The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday commenced consultative meetings with key electoral stakeholders, beginning with civil society organisations (CSOs), as part of preparations for forthcoming polls and the 2027 general election.

Welcoming participants, the INEC Chairman described the meeting as a critical platform for dialogue and collaboration, noting that 2026 would be a year of intense electoral activity as Nigeria prepares for the next general election. He urged all stakeholders to work collectively to safeguard the nation’s democracy.

Reflecting on recent milestones, the Chairman, Prof. Amupitan, recalled the successful conduct of the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election on 8 November 2025, barely 15 days after he assumed office. He said the poll, which involved more than 2.8 million registered voters across 5,718 polling units and candidates from 16 political parties, was conducted with transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to the law. He also cited the deployment of sign language interpreters as a significant step towards inclusivity.

On forthcoming elections, Prof. Amupitan announced that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections would be held on Saturday, 21 February 2026, involving more than 1.68 million registered voters across the six area councils.

Speaking further, he said preparations were at an advanced stage, with non-sensitive materials already delivered, ad hoc staff recruited and trained, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices being configured, and sensitive materials scheduled for delivery a day before the polls. A mock accreditation exercise will be conducted on 7 February 2026 in selected polling units across the FCT. He added that 83 domestic and five foreign observers had been accredited.

The Chairman also confirmed that bye-elections would be conducted on the same day in Ahoada East II and Khana II State Constituencies in Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo State Constituencies in Kano State, following vacancies created by the resignation and death of lawmakers.

Looking ahead, he reiterated that the Ekiti State governorship election would take place on 20 June 2026, while Osun State would go to the polls on 8 August 2026. Several timetable activities, he noted, had already been completed for both elections.

On the 2027 general election, Prof. Amupitan assured Nigerians that the timetable and schedule of activities would be released in full compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022. However, he expressed concern over delays in amending the Electoral Act and called on CSOs to support efforts to urge the National Assembly to expedite action.

A major highlight of the meeting was the announcement of a nationwide voter revalidation exercise ahead of 2027, aimed at sanitising the voters’ register by addressing issues such as duplicate registrations, under-age registrants, non-citizens, and deceased persons. He stressed that a credible voters’ register remained the foundation of public confidence in elections.

Prof. Amupitan also disclosed progress in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, stating that more than 2.68 million eligible voters were registered in the first phase, while the second phase would run until April 2026. He added that INEC had received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties, with successful applicants to be announced soon.

He urged CSOs to mobilise residents to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 10 February 2026 deadline in the FCT, and to support voter education, peaceful campaigns, and efforts to combat hate speech, vote buying, and electoral violence.

Responding on behalf of the CSOs, Ms. Grace Alache Jerry pledged continued civil society support for INEC in strengthening democracy and ensuring credible elections. She assured the Commission of the organisations’ commitment to observing the FCT Area Council elections and intensifying voter sensitisation.

She, however, raised concerns over delays by the National Assembly in amending the Electoral Act, warning that such setbacks could hamper preparations for the 2027 general election. She called on all stakeholders to intensify advocacy for urgent legislative action to avert challenges ahead of the polls.

“As stakeholders, we all have a critical role to play to ensure that the 2027 election happens seamlessly and without challenges,” she said.