Edith CHUKU
100 days to the 2027 general elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, says it has acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS, for optimal performance.
The commission also noted that 18 out of 22 registered political parties submitted 36 Presidential/Vice-Presidential candidates.
According to INEC, three parties; Accord, APGA, and Youth Party, nominated no presidential candidates, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP, withdrew its presidential nomination during the substitution window.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, revealed these in the world press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting, marking 100 days to the 2027 general election, on Tuesday.
Speaking at BAT-ICC, Abuja, Amupitan said the Commission received 112 formal complaints from aspirants, candidates, and parties regarding unlawful withdrawal and substitution of candidates, typographical errors, and other legal issues relating to nominations, which he said were investigated and resolved except those pending in the Court.
He said recent complaints from some political parties and aggrieved aspirants drew the commission’s attention to the recent Supreme Court decision in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party delivered on 24th September, 2026, affirming the constitutionality of section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026 and also upholding our Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan said INEC only received the certified true copy of the judgment on Tuesday morning, noting that it was being reviewed.
“Pursuant to court judgments restoring previously suppressed constituencies, the Commission restored 27 state constituencies between June and August 2026 in Benue, Delta, Jigawa and Kogi States. In addition, two new State Constituencies (Warri South West II and Warri North II) were created in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State to resolve the protracted problem arising from the inability to implement the Supreme Court decision in Hon. George U Timinimi & Ors V. INEC before the 2023 General election. Political party primaries and candidate nominations for these constituencies have been completed.
“21 of 22 political parties sponsored 1,313 candidates for the Senate and 3,547 candidates for the House of Representatives. Personal particulars were published on 1st August 2026, and the Final List of Candidates was published on 12th September 2026, subject to court orders. 21 out of 22 political parties nominated 936 Governorship/Deputy Governorship candidates and 9,692 State House of Assembly candidates. Personal particulars were published on 29th August 2026, with the Final List set for publication on 10th October 2026.
“Under Section 29 of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties submitted candidate lists through the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal (ICNP), supported by Form EC9 affidavits of constitutional compliance.To protect the integrity of party nominations and prevent unlawful exclusion or arbitrary candidate substitution, the Commission implemented an administrative safeguard, which was the pre-uploading of candidate names onto the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal, strictly verified against INEC’s primary election monitoring reports and internal party appeal outcomes.”
Revealing the Commission’s preparedness for the forthcoming election, he said, “the commission has moved from planning and tendering into active contract execution, production, delivery and construction. Contracts have been awarded, and production is advanced for 57,000 new BVAS devices, additional voting cubicles and ballot boxes. Some of the newly acquired BVAS have been delivered.
“Delivery of new operational vehicles is ongoing nationwide. Construction of dedicated BVAS storage facilities and Local Government Area offices is progressing, alongside nationwide office renovations. The contract for solar power installation across all the Commission offices has been awarded.
“Upgrades to critical ICT applications and core infrastructure are being implemented. Some states have started receiving some non-sensitive materials. Procurement for the printing of ballot papers and result sheets is nearly completed and advancing towards final contract award. The Procurement Department continues to monitor supplier, contractor and inter-departmental delivery schedules closely, so that all procurement is aligned with statutory timelines.”
He further reassured Nigerians that the international community of our total commitment to neutrality, operational excellence, and the sacred integrity of the ballot box.
