The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told an African Union (AU) pre-election mission that preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 general election are already advancing, with voter-register integrity, electoral technology, logistics, disinformation and inclusion among the areas receiving attention.
INEC Acting Chairman, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving the AU Pre-Election Needs Assessment Mission led by former Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Demeke Mekonnen.
The delegation is in Nigeria to examine the country’s electoral preparedness, identify potential gaps and risks, and determine areas where technical assistance could strengthen the process ahead of the 2027 polls. The seven-day mission began on September 13 and is scheduled to end on September 19, 2026.
Gumus described the AU engagement as an opportunity for institutional learning and peer assessment rather than a routine diplomatic visit.
She said the exercise could help reinforce public confidence and strengthen the capacity of electoral institutions as preparations intensify.
According to her, INEC is working across operational, technological and logistical areas to facilitate participation by eligible voters.
She also pointed to lessons from recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, the Federal Capital Territory, Ekiti and Osun states as useful to the Commission as it prepares for the national exercise.
The Commission has identified several areas where AU expertise could be useful. They include digital training for ad hoc election personnel, measures against election-related disinformation and deepfakes, reinforcement of the Election Monitoring and Support Centre, as well as mechanisms for greater inclusion and gender mainstreaming.
The focus on digital manipulation reflects a growing concern over the ability of fabricated audio, video and images to distort public understanding during election periods.
Gumus said electoral integrity could not be treated as the responsibility of INEC alone. She listed political parties, civil society groups, security agencies, the media, development partners and voters among the stakeholders whose actions can influence the credibility of an election.
She also restated the Commission’s position on institutional neutrality, saying INEC would conduct the 2027 exercise according to the law.
Under the current leadership of Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, Gumus said administrative decisions would follow statutory requirements, while technical deployments would be structured to promote transparency.
She added that the final outcome would reflect the sovereign choice of Nigerian voters.
The AU mission, meanwhile, is examining several components of Nigeria’s electoral architecture.
Mekonnen said the delegation would engage INEC and other stakeholders on voter registration and the integrity of the voters’ register, electoral technology, logistics, funding, inclusion, transparency, dispute resolution, security coordination and results management.
The mission’s remit places particular emphasis on identifying risks before election day rather than waiting for problems to surface during the polls.
That approach gives the exercise a practical dimension. It allows the AU and INEC to examine weaknesses in the electoral chain, from the accuracy of voter records and deployment of personnel to the systems used to manage results and communicate election information.
INEC’s preparations are also unfolding against a backdrop of increasing public attention to the 2027 election. The Commission’s official platform currently lists more than 93 million registered voters and over 176,000 polling units, underscoring the scale of the national exercise.
The Commission has previously stated that its preparations must operate within the Constitution and the Electoral Act. In February, INEC said it had finalised its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 election, while noting that amendments to the Electoral Act were then under consideration by the National Assembly.
The AU engagement therefore comes at a stage when electoral planning is moving beyond broad declarations of readiness into questions about systems, personnel, technology, security and public confidence.
Mekonnen described the mission as supportive and consultative. He said its purpose was to assess work already undertaken, locate areas of vulnerability and explore possible forms of technical assistance.
The assessment is expected to provide another external perspective on Nigeria’s preparations as the country moves towards the 2027 general election.
On voters’ end, the significance lies less in the assurances issued at the meeting than in how the identified systems perform when the electoral process reaches its critical stages.
The integrity of the register, reliability of technology, competence of election personnel, security arrangements, management of results and protection against disinformation will all form part of the process that determines how Nigerians cast and have their votes counted.
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