- INEC launched the Election Project Plan (EPP) for the 2027 general election, leveraging its experience in past elections
- The commission updated its election templates and focused on improving the efficiency and reliability of future elections
- Issues from the 2023 elections, such as technical glitches in result uploading, were incorporated to ensure smoother operations in 2027
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the process of formulating its Election Project Plan (EPP) ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election. A senior official within the commission disclosed this
This proactive step is part of INEC’s effort to refine and improve its election processes, with lessons learned from the 2023 general election being applied to the planning of the upcoming poll.
The official revealed that the commission is updating its election templates in anticipation of the 2027 election cycle, with an emphasis on improving the efficiency and reliability of its operations.
"The formulation also includes the production of the 2027–2031 Strategic Plan, which will replace the current 2022–2026 plan set to end in December 2026, An important aspect of this initiative is the preparation of a key document that will bridge the gap between the current strategic plan and the election year, which the existing 2022-2026 plan does not cover. This document will lay the groundwork for the 2027 EPP," the official explained.
While the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan primarily focused on institutionalising the commission’s processes to ensure smooth delivery of its mandate, the EPP will specifically target the logistics and operations of the general election.
The earlier plan concentrated on areas such as capacity building, professional development, and optimising resource management across a four-year cycle. In contrast, the new EPP will be a comprehensive framework focused solely on the challenges and requirements of a general election.
The EPP concept was first introduced for the 2015 general election and has been used in subsequent elections, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections. With each new cycle, INEC has adapted and evolved the plan to address emerging challenges.
Following the difficulties faced during the 2023 elections, the commission is making concerted efforts to fine-tune its processes to ensure smoother operations in future elections.
One of the key challenges in 2023 was managing a massive voter base of 93,469,008 registered voters across 176,846 polling units. The election involved the deployment of over 1.5 million personnel, including polling staff, supervisors, and security officers, as well as 182,491 vehicles to cover Nigeria’s vast and diverse terrain.
However, technical glitches occurred in uploading election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. Especially during the presidential elections, there were difficulties in mapping the nationwide presidential results to the system, which was designed to handle state-specific election data.
This issue was eventually addressed through software updates, and INEC wants to avoid a repeat of such performance.
SERAP threatens INEC chairman with lawsuit if electoral offenders are not prosecuted
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) issued a warning to Chairman Mahmood Yakubu over non-compliance with a court ruling to prosecute offenders of electoral bribery during the 2023 elections.
The advocacy group cited ongoing electoral bribery and violence as detrimental to Nigeria’s democracy.