Commission deploys biometric tech, battles vote-buying, disinformation as political campaigns officially kick off
With the 2027 general election campaign season officially commencing Wednesday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled an ambitious operational blueprint to deploy 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across 176,000 polling units nationwide.
The electoral body also confirmed it is leveraging the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) under the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) framework to purge duplicate entries and maintain a clean, verified National Register of Voters.
Security Threats, Disinformation Top Concerns
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, sounded the alarm over systemic risks threatening the credibility of the 2027 polls during a meeting with the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Pre-Election Assessment Mission in Abuja.
“Security risks, localised electoral violence, vote-buying, and the rapid proliferation of hate speech, disinformation, and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) pose direct threats to voter confidence,” Amupitan warned.
The visit came at a pivotal moment — just three days after the Osun State off-cycle governorship election and one day before the official start of public campaigns for the 2027 general election.
Technology: The Game-Changer
Amupitan declared that technology has permanently sealed legacy vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s voting system, citing impressive performance metrics:
· BVAS achieving over 98% upload success rates in recent off-cycle elections
· IReV portal enabling real-time public display of polling unit result sheets (Form EC8A)
· Dual biometric verification ensuring ballot integrity
“Technology has permanently closed the door on legacy voting vulnerabilities, ensuring that the ballot box alone determines electoral outcomes,” he asserted.
Operational Roadmap: Five Key Pillars
The Commission outlined its strategic focus areas:
1. Voter register audits — eliminating ghost voters via ABIS
2. Early-deployment frameworks — partnering with transport unions to guarantee 8:30 AM polling unit openings
3. Assistive devices — improving access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, and elderly voters
4. Security coordination — collaborating with ICCES, EFCC, and ICPC to monitor campaign finance and prosecute electoral offenders
5. Peace Accord signing — presidential candidates to commit to issue-based campaigns
A Neutral Umpire’s Pledge
Reaffirming INEC’s impartiality, Amupitan assured international observers of full transparency:
“As an electoral management body, our sole mandate is to serve as an uncompromising, impartial umpire dedicated to delivering a free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive election that reflects the sovereign will of the Nigerian people.”
