House of Representatives has directed the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, to brief its Committee on Electoral Matters on the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections within seven legislative days.
Gatekeepers News reports that the resolution followed a motion sponsored by the House Minority Whip, Mansur Soro, and Deputy Minority Leader, Abdussamad Dasuki, during plenary on Wednesday.
The lawmakers said the briefing would enable the House to assess INEC’s preparations, particularly in voter registration, electoral logistics, technology deployment, personnel training, security arrangements and funding.
Moving the motion, Soro expressed concern over operational challenges reported at Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) centres across the country, including inadequate registration equipment, insufficient personnel, network disruptions and prolonged waiting times.
He warned that the difficulties could prevent eligible Nigerians, particularly first-time voters, rural residents, persons with disabilities, students and workers, from registering or updating their voter information ahead of the elections.
Soro said the credibility, transparency and acceptability of the 2027 elections would depend largely on INEC’s preparedness and its ability to address operational gaps before the polls.
He added that the recently concluded governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states offered lessons in election administration, technology deployment, logistics management, security and voter participation that could guide preparations for the general elections.
The committee is expected to obtain a comprehensive report from Amupitan on the progress of voter registration, the production and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the readiness of election technology, and the procurement and distribution of election materials.
Lawmakers also want details of the recruitment and training of electoral officials, the identification of areas facing security and operational challenges, and measures to ensure eligible voters in areas affected by insecurity are not disenfranchised.
The briefing will further cover INEC’s budgetary allocations, funds released, outstanding payments and the possible impact of funding gaps on the commission’s preparations.
However, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu opposed the initial proposal to invite Amupitan to address the entire House during plenary, arguing that the responsibility should be handled by the Committee on Electoral Matters.
Kalu said the proposed arrangement could undermine the committee’s oversight responsibilities, noting that the INEC chairman had recently briefed the public on the commission’s preparations and the challenges it faced.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, clarified that the lawmakers were not opposed to inviting the INEC chairman but wanted the engagement to take place at committee level.
He directed the committee to invite Amupitan and publicise the date of the meeting to allow other interested lawmakers to attend and ask questions.
The House said early oversight was necessary to ensure adequate preparation, timely funding, effective security coordination and the smooth conduct of the 2027 general elections.
