About 80 days into the 2027 general elections, Civil Society Organisations have demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission demonstrate its readiness through transparent. verifiable evidence, not assurances alone.

According to them, the operational failures of the 2023 general elections late arrival of materials, BVAS malfunctions and controversy over results transmission remain fresh, saying public confidence will not be restored by assurances alone, but must be built through transparency, operational competence and accountability.

The organisations including ActionAid Nigeria, Centre LSD, Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, MOTION and partners made the demands during a press briefing yesterday in Abuja.

The Country Director of Action Aid Andrew Mamedu while reading the text of the Press briefing said studies and experience has shown that credible elections are built long before election day as it depend on timely distribution of election materials, impartial recruitment and practical training of election personnel, reliable technology, clear results management procedures and effective security arrangements.

They maintained that weakness in any area can disrupt voting, undermine confidence and create opportunities for manipulation.

Mamedu said although, INEC had announced measures to strengthen logistics, procure additional BVAS devices, secure election materials and recruit personnel ahead of the elections, but said the announcements does not mean readiness.

He said “The question is whether these plans will translate into timely, transparent, inclusive and credible elections in every part of Nigeria, from riverine communities of the Niger Delta to banditry-affected areas of the North West and difficult terrains of the North East.”

In the area of logistics, they worried that the ballot papers, result sheets, BVAS devices and registers must reach the correct polling units in sufficient quantities and on time is no small task, given the poor state of roads, insecurity, flooding and vast distances complicate movement

He said the question is not whether materials have been procured in Abuja, but whether they will reach the right polling unit before 7 a.m. on election day, given the familiar risks such as late arrival of sensitive materials, inadequate vehicles, poor coordination between state, LGA and ward centres, incomplete inventories and no contingency for breakdowns.

While mentioning that INEC’s October logistics announcements must indicate that transport agreements have been signed with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, they called on citizens to demand a published logistics plan showing distribution timelines from central storage to wards, deadlines for each stage. contingency arrangements for difficult areas and a mechanism for correcting shortages before voting begins.

On the issue of personnel, ActionAid Nigeria had requested that INEC grant access for independent monitoring and public reporting of the ongoing ad hoc personnel recruitment exercise but they are yet to get response.

On the security of NYSC ad hoc staff, the organisation raised concern that the reliance on young graduates for deployment to remote and volatile areas makes their protection critical adding that allegations that

NYSC lists are routinely infiltrated at state level, with politicians sewing NYSC uniforms for non-corps members to pose as ad hoc staff.

They warned INEC against accepting recommendations from governors, legislators and political parties, insisting political neutrality must be a fundamental qualification.

To ensure transparency in the recruitment process, the groups demanded that INEC must publish a state-by-state dashboard showing applications, screening and certification per category for the five roles advertised on the INECPRES portal until 18 November 2026, with eligibility requiring political neutrality.

They are also demanding that the Director-General of NYSCbiometrically certify the NYSC list adding that the electoral umpire must publish thw training completion rates of all the ad-hoc and permanent staff with evidence of practical simulations, not just classroom photos.

They also called on them to publish a reserve pool of at least 20 per cent extra staff about 280,000 personnel to replace absentees as well as publish the welfare package: daily allowance, insurance and security escort for corps members in hard-to-reach areas.

According to them readiness is demonstrated not declared, “We demand: Show us the plan. Show us the progress. Show us the evidence. Our votes must not be lost to preventable logistical failures,” they stated.