The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned that failures within the commission’s administrative chain could trigger a crisis during the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan spoke as he began a zonal assessment of INEC’s operations in the Southwest, where he met Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), Electoral Officers and other officials involved in election administration.

The INEC chairman said his decision to personally assess the commission’s preparedness was driven by the need to identify weaknesses before the elections, rather than wait until the electoral process was already underway.

“It is very critical for me to go and see for myself and be sure that we are physically, psychologically, materially and infrastructurally ready for the 2027 General Election,” he said.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, followed by governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

Amupitan said Electoral Officers at the local government level deserved greater attention because they were responsible for translating decisions made by the commission into practical action at the grassroots.

He described the officials as the commission’s “foot soldiers”, stressing that their effectiveness was crucial to the overall success of the electoral process.

According to him, election administration operates through a chain of responsibility, with Electoral Officers working under RECs who are accountable to the commission.

He said inadequate attention to any part of that structure could create problems for the wider electoral process.

“Their role has always not been emphasised before now. But we know that if the chain is broken, then the election will run into crisis,” Amupitan said.

The chairman said the readiness assessment would allow him to examine the different components of election administration and determine areas that require urgent intervention.

He also said the commission was working to improve coordination among its officials, particularly on administration, personnel management and the implementation of decisions.

Amupitan said the limited time before the 2027 elections informed the decision to conduct the assessment by geopolitical zones rather than through the traditional state-by-state approach.

The Southwest engagement is part of a wider series of assessments intended to give the commission’s leadership a clearer picture of its operational capacity ahead of the polls.

Amupitan said preparations must cover every stage of the electoral process if the commission is to avoid operational gaps.

“We want to address every chain, every aspect of the election, and ensure that we have a seamless general election in 2027,” he said.