2027: INEC Meets Security Agencies, Political Parties in Lagos
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State has met with security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders to discuss preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, was aimed at strengthening collaboration among stakeholders and promoting peaceful conduct of the elections.
Speaking at the meeting, Lagos Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said the commission was intensifying preparations in logistics, personnel deployment, election security, voter education and accessibility.
Salami disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 scheduled milestones for the 2027 elections as of October 6.
He said the commission’s national register currently contained approximately 103 million registered voters.
The REC added that preparations were ongoing for the procurement and delivery of 57,000 additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, alongside software upgrades and other technical improvements.
According to him, arrangements were also being made for the deployment of more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats nationwide.
Salami said recruitment of about 1.4 million election personnel through the INECPRES portal was ongoing, with applications scheduled to close on November 18.
He noted that Lagos remained strategically important to the electoral process, with 7,488,633 registered voters across its 20 local government areas, 245 registration areas and 13,325 polling units.
The REC said the state’s population density, traffic congestion, commercial activities and difficult-to-access riverine communities required careful planning and coordination.
On election security, Salami said INEC would continue working with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, led by the Nigeria Police Force, to identify and address potential threats.
He said measures would be taken to prevent electoral violence, voter intimidation, vote-buying, ballot snatching and other activities capable of undermining the credibility of the polls.
Salami also expressed concern over misinformation and the use of artificial intelligence to circulate manipulated images, fabricated reports, deepfake videos and cloned voices.
He urged political actors, media organisations and members of the public to verify election-related information through authorised INEC channels before sharing it.
The REC called on political parties and their supporters to comply with electoral laws and avoid actions capable of disrupting public peace.
He also urged civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups and the media to support voter education and promote peaceful participation in the electoral process.
Salami reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to conducting peaceful, credible, transparent and inclusive elections in 2027, adding that achieving the goal required cooperation among all stakeholders.
