2027 Polls: Security, funding and technology put INEC to the test

With about 100 days to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is moving from planning to implementation, but three issues could significantly shape its ability to deliver credible polls: security, funding and technology.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan raised several of these concerns on October 6 and 7 as the commission briefed political parties, civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders on its preparations for the elections.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections will follow on February 6.

1. Security: Can voters and election officials reach the polls safely?

Security remains one of the most difficult challenges confronting the 2027 election.

Nigeria continues to face insecurity in several parts of the country, creating concerns about the safety of voters, electoral officials, candidates, observers and election materials.

The Nigeria Police Force has said it is already preparing for the election, with security clearance operations reported in parts of Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states. The operations are aimed at stabilising areas considered vulnerable ahead of the polls.

The police have also developed a six-pillar election-security strategy built around intelligence, training, inter-agency coordination, technology, community engagement and political neutrality.

For INEC, however, security goes beyond preventing attacks on election day. The commission must be able to deploy personnel and materials to all parts of the country, including areas affected by insurgency, banditry, communal violence and other forms of insecurity.

INEC plans to deploy personnel and logistics across 176,846 polling units and 8,838 registration areas, making the security operation one of the largest logistical exercises in the country’s electoral calendar.

The commission has also identified election-related disinformation, vote-buying, logistical difficulties and security challenges among the issues that could affect the credibility of the election.

2. Funding: Can INEC get the money before deadlines become critical?

Funding is the second major test.

INEC has repeatedly called for the prompt release of outstanding funds, warning that timely financing is necessary to complete procurement, logistics and other preparations for the 2027 elections.

The commission had proposed about ₦873.78 billion for the 2027 general elections. Earlier in the year, INEC officials said funds for the elections had not yet been fully released, despite preparations continuing.

By late September, reports indicated that about ₦500 billion of the proposed election budget had been released, leaving a substantial balance still outstanding. The delayed funding has raised concerns over procurement of sensitive materials, replacement of damaged electoral equipment and payments to contractors.

The concern has become more pressing as the electoral timetable moves closer to the main polling dates.

INEC’s chairman said the commission has moved beyond planning and tendering into production, delivery and construction, meaning that many of the remaining activities now require timely financial commitments.

For a nationwide election involving more than 103 million registered voters, funding delays could affect everything from transportation and storage to technology deployment and recruitment.

The size of the electorate has increased following the conclusion of the latest Continuous Voter Registration exercise. INEC says the national register now contains more than 103 million voters, after more than 10.7 million new registrations were recorded, subject to the commission’s verification processes.

That larger electorate also means a larger logistical challenge.

3. Technology: Can BVAS and electronic results systems deliver?

Technology will be another critical test, particularly because electoral technology became a major source of controversy following the 2023 elections.

INEC has opted to strengthen existing systems rather than introduce an entirely new voting technology shortly before the 2027 polls.

The commission has acquired 57,000 additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, which INEC says have undergone software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration.

The commission also plans to continue using its electronic results management infrastructure and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV.

An enhanced electronic EC8A result form is being introduced to digitise and cryptographically authenticate polling-unit results before their transmission to the results portal. INEC says the system is intended to strengthen the transparency and integrity of results management.

The commission is also expanding its use of artificial intelligence.

INEC says an AI division has been established to support auditing and anomaly detection, particularly in areas such as election-related data and system monitoring. The commission says the use of AI will remain subject to human oversight and a governance framework.

But technology on its own does not guarantee a smooth election.

The systems must work in thousands of locations with varying levels of electricity, telecommunications connectivity and technical support. Electoral officials must also be properly trained to operate the equipment and respond when problems occur.

INEC has therefore scheduled a six-day technology stress test from October 23 to October 28, followed by a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November. The exercises are intended to identify technical and logistical weaknesses before election day.

Beyond the three tests

While security, funding and technology are central, INEC will also have to contend with other challenges, including vote-buying, misinformation, deepfakes, logistics and public confidence.

The commission has said it is working with agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to monitor campaign spending and address illicit campaign financing.

The electoral body has also introduced measures aimed at making voter-card collection easier. Nationwide collection of newly produced Permanent Voter Cards is scheduled to begin on October 9, while INEC has introduced printable PVC technology for certain categories of voters.

The preliminary voters’ register is also scheduled for public display from October 9 to October 15, giving voters an opportunity to verify their details and raise claims or objections before the final register is produced.

The credibility test

INEC’s challenge is therefore not simply to organise an election on schedule. It must demonstrate that voters can safely reach polling units, election officials have the resources to perform their duties, and the te