Breaking: INEC Raises Bar for 2027 Election, Announces Package of Workforce, Welfare Measures
- INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan directed all personnel to halt annual leave as the Commission ramps up its 2027 General Election preparations
- The Commission introduced a new salary structure, higher field allowances, and distributed vehicles to state and LGA offices across the country
- INEC revealed it had completed 9 of 14 statutory milestones and is now configuring 57,000 new BVAS devices ahead of the January 2027 polls
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ordered its staff to put annual leave on hold as it pushes ahead with preparations for the 2027 elections, while rolling out a broad set of welfare, logistics and technology reforms across its nationwide operations.
Legit.ng reports that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), delivered the directive on Friday, November 6, 2026, in Lokoja, Kogi State, during the Commission's North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 elections. The meeting was the final stop in a nationwide zonal assessment tour.
Source: Twitter
INEC wants staff ready
Amupitan told senior officials and field personnel drawn from the six North-Central states and the Federal Capital Territory that the scale of the upcoming elections demanded full commitment from every member of staff.
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are fixed for January 16, 2027, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections follow on February 6, 2027. More than 103 million registered voters are expected to participate across 176,846 polling units.
INEC announces salary, allowance increases
A key announcement was the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), which the Chairman stated that it took effect from January 1, 2026, after the Commission moved away from the conventional civil service pay framework. He said the cash-backing process was ongoing. The Commission also approved enhanced hazard and field allowances, alongside a 150 per cent rise in monthly overhead allocations to state offices, effective July 1, 2026.
On logistics, Amupitan said operational pick-up vehicles had been distributed to both state and Local Government Area offices. Twenty Sports Utility Vehicles were procured for Resident Electoral Commissioners, with Administrative Secretaries also set to receive new vehicles.
He warned that partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract decisive sanctions, directing Resident Electoral Commissioners and Administrative Secretaries to enforce strict attendance and accountability measures.
Source: Twitter
INEC deploys new BVAS, digital reforms
The Commission is configuring 57,000 newly procured Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices to support faster voter verification. Electronic result management systems, including the eEC8A verification platform, are undergoing audits to ensure transparent transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Printable Permanent Voter Cards and a digital PVC Location Portal have also been activated, with the certified Register of Voters due for publication on December 15, 2026.
On security, Amupitan announced an intelligence-led coordination framework under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), extending security arrangements from the national level down to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres. He also flagged misinformation and AI-generated deepfakes as growing threats, saying that transparent administration and efficient field operations were the best defence against false narratives.
The North-Central zone, comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, as well as the FCT, has 15,448,869 registered voters. The Commission said it had completed nine of the 14 major milestones outlined in its statutory timetable for the elections.
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- INEC commences recruitment for ad hoc staff, releases guidelines on how to apply
- INEC takes decision on extending voter registration ahead of 2027 election
MURIC, SCSN demand sack of INEC boss
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) called for the immediate sack of the INEC chairman, Prof. Amupitan.
The executive director of the Islamic group, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, posited that Amupitan cannot be trusted.
Similarly, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) urged President Tinubu to review Amupitan’s appointment.
Source: Legit.ng
