By Our Reporter
Prof. Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has warned that attacks on electoral officials, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) deployed for election duties, will attract the full weight of the law.
Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday at the South-South Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he charged electoral officials to uphold impartiality, discipline and accountability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He cautioned that partisanship, negligence, absenteeism and financial impropriety would attract disciplinary action, stressing that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised through administrative negligence or logistical failures.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the South-South zone had 15,823,550 registered voters, including 3,736,434 in Rivers State.
He said the Commission was adopting a field-based approach to assess its operational preparedness, identify gaps and strengthen service delivery, drawing lessons from recent governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, FCT Area Council elections and 16 by-elections.
On technology, Amupitan said INEC was preparing its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including 57,000 newly procured devices, while auditing its electronic result management systems to improve transparency in result transmission through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Addressing concerns over suspicious photographs in the preliminary voters’ register published online, he said the Commission was examining the records and would take corrective action based on verified findings.
He urged Nigerians to participate in the display, claims and objections process ahead of the publication of the final register scheduled for December 15, 2026.
Amupitan also identified the region’s creeks, coastal settlements and riverine communities as logistical challenges, disclosing that INEC had finalised a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Transporters Union to facilitate the timely and secure transportation of election personnel and materials.
On security, he reaffirmed the Commission’s collaboration with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), emphasising intelligence-led planning and the protection of voters, electoral materials and personnel.
He also highlighted staff welfare measures, including the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), enhanced salaries, hazard and field allowances, as well as a 150 per cent increase in monthly state office overhead allocations, effective July 1, 2026.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Rivers State described the meeting as an opportunity to assess preparedness and address outstanding operational challenges ahead of the elections.
The REC said credible elections required deliberate planning, adequate logistics, trained personnel, functional technology, effective security coordination and sustained voter education. He also called for stronger collaboration between INEC headquarters and state offices, as well as inclusive participation by women, young people and persons with disabilities.
In her presentation, the Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs Helen Ajayi, said the meeting was designed to assess state preparedness, identify operational and logistical challenges, improve staff motivation and review departmental preparations for the 2027 elections.
She said situation reports from the six South-South states would cover election security, training, voter education and stakeholder engagement, while departmental presentations would provide updates on voter registration, Permanent Voter Card collection, information and communication technology, human resources and election operations.
Ajayi also highlighted the importance of Electoral Risk Management in identifying potential electoral flashpoints and supporting preventive planning and security coordination. She urged field personnel to cooperate with assessment teams and strengthen grassroots mobilisation, particularly through traditional rulers.
Representatives of the six South-South states presented reports on their respective levels of preparedness, while directors and departmental representatives provided updates on their areas of responsibility.
Amupitan formally declared the meeting open, urging INEC officials to demonstrate integrity, professionalism and commitment to delivering credible, transparent and inclusive elections in 2027.
