The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a fresh directive to its Administrative Secretaries across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the directive on Monday in Lagos while declaring open a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for the Commission’s Administrative Secretaries.
Amupitan warned that INEC could no longer afford administrative inconsistencies or different interpretations of operational responsibilities across the states, stressing that poor coordination could undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections.
Describing the workshop as an election-focused “operational boot camp,” the INEC chairman said the exercise was designed to test the Commission’s preparedness, harmonise procedures and ensure that state-level structures operate according to uniform national standards.
“We can no longer afford fragmented interpretations of administrative duties or disjointed operational practices from state to state,” Amupitan said.
According to him, INEC is drawing lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State governorship election, to develop operational standards that can be applied nationwide during the more complex 2027 general elections.
He noted that while logistics, technology and administrative discipline played important roles in successful elections, conducting a nationwide election involving all 36 states and the FCT would present a far greater challenge.
Amupitan therefore directed the Administrative Secretaries to ensure that successful operational models are replicated across the country.
He described Administrative Secretaries as key technical, operational and administrative anchors at the state level, responsible for the daily running of INEC offices, administrative continuity and critical processes required for polling units to open as scheduled.
The workshop will focus on five major areas considered crucial to the success of the 2027 elections.
They include Continuous Voter Registration and Permanent Voter’s Card distribution, logistics and election-material management, electoral technologies, recruitment and deployment of ad-hoc personnel, as well as administration and financial compliance.
Amupitan said the Commission would work towards maintaining a clean voters’ register and improving PVC distribution as the national register approaches 100 million voters.
He also highlighted the need for proper receipt, auditing, secure storage, deployment and return of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials.
The INEC chairman further charged the officials to master critical electoral technologies, including BVAS, IReV, eEC&A, EMSC, CROMS, IOMIS and PFRAS.
Another major focus will be the recruitment, screening and technology-based training of ad-hoc personnel, alongside strict compliance with procurement, financial and administrative regulations.
The New System That Could Change INEC’s 2027 Preparations
One of the major innovations unveiled at the workshop is the proposed Administrative Secretary Master Operational Tracker, an Excel-based monitoring system expected to be linked to INEC’s EMSC dashboard and Election Project Plan.
Amupitan said the tracker would provide INEC headquarters, Resident Electoral Commissioners and Supervising National Commissioners with real-time information on the level of preparedness in each state.
It will monitor areas including election-material distribution, training of ad-hoc personnel and overall state readiness.
The objective, he explained, is to move INEC away from last-minute crisis management towards proactive planning and early identification of operational challenges.
The tracker could also become a permanent onboarding framework for future Administrative Secretaries after the 2027 elections.
Amupitan, however, issued a strong warning to the officials against compromising administrative discipline, political neutrality and preparedness.
“If you tolerate shortcuts, shortcuts will multiply. If you tolerate political interference, neutrality will deteriorate,” he warned.
He urged the Administrative Secretaries to prioritise documentation, punctuality, preparedness and strict compliance, while encouraging them to report operational problems early rather than conceal them.
With the 2027 general elections drawing closer, the latest directive signals that INEC is moving to tighten its state-level operations well ahead of the crucial polls.
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