The House of Representatives has invited the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, to brief lawmakers on the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
The invitation followed a motion sponsored by Mansur Soro, representing Bauchi under the Allied Peoples Movement, and Abdussamad Dasuki of the African Democratic Congress, Sokoto State, during Wednesday’s plenary.
Leading the motion, Soro said the credibility and transparency of the 2027 elections would depend largely on INEC’s level of preparation. He identified voter registration and education, training of electoral personnel, security arrangements and adherence to the election timetable as key areas requiring attention.
The lawmaker also raised concerns over reported difficulties at some Continuous Voter Registration centres across the country. These include insufficient registration equipment, inadequate staff, network failures and lengthy waiting times.
He warned that such challenges could prevent eligible Nigerians from registering to vote, particularly first-time voters, rural dwellers, persons with disabilities, students and workers, if urgent measures were not taken.
Soro further pointed to the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election as an opportunity for INEC to draw lessons on election management, technology deployment, logistics, stakeholder engagement, security and voter participation ahead of the 2027 polls.
He stressed that early planning was necessary to ensure the timely procurement of election materials, deployment of technology, recruitment and training of officials, voter education, security planning and nationwide logistics coordination.
“Any delay in addressing existing operational gaps in voter registration, logistics, technology deployment and funding may adversely affect public confidence in the electoral process and compromise the peaceful conduct of the 2027 general election,” he said.
The motion called on the House to invite Amupitan to provide an update within seven days on INEC’s preparations for the elections.
The proposed briefing was expected to cover progress on continuous voter registration, the production and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, the readiness of electoral technology and logistics, and the identification of areas facing operational challenges.
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Lawmakers also sought details of the recruitment and training of election officials, budgetary provisions, funds released to the commission, outstanding disbursements and the possible impact of funding shortfalls on the election timetable.
However, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu opposed the proposal for Amupitan to address the entire House during plenary.
Kalu instead suggested that the INEC chairman appear before the House Committee on Electoral Matters, with any interested lawmaker allowed to attend the session.
The proposal was adopted after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas subjected it to a voice vote.