INEC targets 7:30 a.m. readiness at polling units in 2027 election

The Independent National Electoral Commission says it is strengthening transport arrangements and introducing digital tracking to ensure election officials and materials reach polling units by about 7:30 a.m. during the 2027 general elections.

INEC Deputy Director of Information Wilfred Ifogah outlined the preparations on Wednesday, October 7, during an appearance on AIT’s Kakaaki programme, identifying logistics and transportation as key priorities. He said INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan had stressed the importance of timely deployment, warning that late arrivals could create tension and suspicion among voters.

“If you don’t, you find out that it creates tension and a lot of suspicion here and there,” Ifogah said. According to the commission’s election calendar, Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will take place on February 6.

Ifogah said INEC had reviewed logistical challenges from recent off-cycle elections, including those in Anambra, the Federal Capital Territory and Ekiti, to improve preparations. The plans follow delays recorded during previous elections. In the August 2026 Osun governorship election, Yiaga Africa reported that officials had arrived at 78 per cent of the 300 polling units it observed by 8:30 a.m., when voting was scheduled to begin.

INEC guidelines required officials to arrive at least one hour earlier. Premium Times also reported concerns about the late movement of sensitive materials after ballot papers and result sheets had to be reprinted following a candidate’s late inclusion. Ifogah said the commission was engaging the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria. It was also developing a transport matrix to coordinate deployment.

He explained that Registration Area Centres would allow personnel and materials to be positioned closer to polling units a day before voting, reducing the need to travel from local government INEC offices on election morning. Digital platforms would track when materials leave, who is responsible for them and when they reach their destinations. “If it’s not done, it is escalated, and you find out who is responsible and actually what led to it. So these are things that probably were not happening before, that we have brought in place now,” he said.

However, Ifogah acknowledged that difficult terrain and unforeseen logistical problems could prevent timely deployment to every polling unit. He added that officials could be replaced where poor performance resulted from human or administrative failings. His comments came a day after INEC released details of a voters’ register containing 103.43 million people.

Voters aged 35 to 49 account for the largest group, with 43.27 million registrants, followed by those aged 18 to 34, with 29.78 million. The register contains 53.53 million male voters and 49.90 million female voters, representing 51.75 per cent and 48.25 per cent respectively.

It also records 232,658 persons with disabilities across 10 categories. The category labelled “others” accounts for 101,183 people, or 43.49 per cent of registered voters with disabilities. Appearing on the same programme, TAF Africa Foundation founder Jake Epelle said INEC’s preparations would ultimately be judged by their implementation.

He urged the commission to develop contingency plans for transport failures, saying logistics could affect the credibility of the elections. Epelle also called for stronger measures to support voters with disabilities and commended INEC’s plan to provide sign language interpreters for deaf voters.