Get Guardian on GoogleThe Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the distribution of non-sensitive election materials to some states ahead of the 2027 general elections, as the commission intensifies preparations for the polls.
INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with a delegation from Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, led by the country’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Isaac Parashina.
Gumus said the commission had completed nine scheduled activities and was stepping up preparations following an assessment of its readiness across the six geopolitical zones.
She explained that the assessment involved visits to the six zones to evaluate preparations, identify challenges and determine areas requiring attention ahead of the elections.
“We have six zones in Nigeria. The purpose is to go around the zones to see how prepared we are, assess what the zones have put in place, the challenges and what to do,” she said.
The national commissioner said the commission was satisfied with the progress recorded, adding that the distribution of non-sensitive materials had begun in some zones.
“Right now, all non-sensitive materials are almost ready. In fact, today as we speak here, the non-sensitive materials have been lifted to some zones now. I spoke to the commissioner in charge of that,” Gumus said.
She also disclosed that the production of Permanent Voter Cards had been completed, with most states receiving the first and second batches, while collection was ongoing.
Gumus described PVC collection as a critical aspect of the preparations, urging eligible voters to obtain their cards ahead of the elections.
She added that INEC was conducting capacity-building exercises for personnel at its headquarters and state offices to improve their preparedness for the electoral exercise.
According to her, procurement and deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System were also ongoing.
On the possibility of introducing aspirant voting, Gumus said the commission could not implement the proposal without an amendment to the Electoral Act.
“Here, because we go by the law, in our electoral law, it is not included there, so we cannot go on with aspirant voting for now until we amend the electoral law,” she said.
She said INEC had arranged interactive sessions between its directors and the visiting Kenyan delegation to exchange experiences and provide technical information on electoral administration.
Speaking, Parashina said the delegation’s visit was aimed at learning from Nigeria’s electoral experience ahead of Kenya’s August 2027 general elections.
He noted that both countries faced similar electoral challenges despite differences in population and geographical size.
“Next year, Kenya will also be in August holding general elections in August. So we are also in that preparation. We may not have the same scale in terms of geography and population, but we have quite a lot of issues that we share,” he said.
The envoy said the delegation was particularly interested in Nigeria’s experience with diaspora voting and arrangements for special interest groups.
He explained that Kenya was seeking to expand voting opportunities for citizens living outside the country, adding that its electoral commission was assessing ways to extend participation.
According to him, about 12 countries participated in Kenya’s diaspora voting arrangements during the last general elections, but the country hoped to increase the number to approximately 26.
“Currently we have about 12 of them that have voted in the last general election, but there is intention to expand to around, I think, 26,” he said.
Parashina described Nigeria’s electoral experience as important to other African countries, saying Kenya was interested in strengthening its relationship with INEC.
“The success of Nigeria remains a great success to Kenya and indeed to the continent. Everyone is looking at what Nigeria will do because it’s the biggest democracy in Africa,” he said.
