From David Onuoja, Abuja
The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has announced the plans for a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to clean up Nigeria’s 93-million voter register ahead of the 2027 General Election.
This move was aimed at addressing challenges such as duplicate registrations, underage voters, and deceased individuals on the register.
Speaking at a consultative meeting with political parties on Thursday, Amupitan also highlighted preparations for the FCT Area Council Elections on February 21, 2026, involving 1.68 million voters across 2,822 polling units.
He emphasised the importance of voter education and urged parties to mobilize supporters to collect their PVCs by February 10, 2026 before the election on the 21st of February.
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The INEC Chairman who confirmed the 2027 General Election timetable, pending National Assembly amendments, said Governorship elections are scheduled for Ekiti State on June 20, 2026, and Osun State on August 8, 2026.
Amupitan stressed the need for cohesive leadership within parties, transparency, and adherence to electoral laws. While warning against hate speech, vote-buying, and violence, emphasising INEC’s commitment to free, fair, and credible election.
In the same vein, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, has called on INEC to conduct a credible and transparent FCT Area Council Election on February 21, 2026.
Addressing a consultative meeting with INEC, Dantalle noted the importance of adhering to party constitutions in resolving leadership disputes and urged parties to uphold internal democracy. He also advocated for real-time transmission of election results to the IReV portal and the conduct of all elections on the same day to reduce costs and improve turnout.
IPAC expressed concerns over leadership squabbles within parties, urging leaders to prioritise democratic values and ethics. The council also called on the National Assembly to expedite electoral law harmonization ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Dantalle reiterated IPAC’s position that State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), be scrapped, empowering INEC to conduct all elections nationwide. The FCT Area Council election and upcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States will set the tone for the 2027 General Election, he noted .
