…Amupitan to brief Electoral Matters Committee on voter registration, PVCs, BVAS, funding and plans to prevent disenfranchisement
By Gloria Ikibah 
The House of Representatives has directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, to appear before its Committee on Electoral Matters within seven legislative days to explain the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections, amid concerns that insecurity could prevent eligible Nigerians from voting.
The lawmakers want Amupitan to provide details of the commission’s plans to ensure that no Nigerian is disenfranchised because of insecurity, as well as its readiness for voter registration, election logistics, technology deployment and personnel training.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the Minority Whip, Mansur Manu Soro, and Deputy Minority Leader, Abdulsamad Dasuki, during plenary on Wednesday.
Presenting the motion, Soro said Sections 76, 116, 132 and 178 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Part I of the Third Schedule to the Constitution, and the Electoral Act 2026 mandated INEC to organise, undertake and supervise elections into elective offices in Nigeria.
He argued that the credibility, transparency and acceptability of the 2027 general elections would depend largely on the commission’s preparedness in voter registration, voter education, logistics, technology, personnel training, security coordination, funding and timely implementation of the election timetable.
Soro said the recently concluded governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states offered lessons on election administration, technology deployment, logistics management, stakeholder engagement, security and voter participation that should inform preparations for the nationwide polls.
He also highlighted operational difficulties reported at Continuous Voter Registration centres, including inadequate registration equipment, limited staff, network problems, prolonged waiting times and increased demand from citizens seeking to register or update their voter records.
He said, “voter registration reports from Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) centres in Nigeria highlight challenges including inadequate registration equipment, limited staff, network issues, prolonged waiting times, and increased demand from citizens wishing to register or manage their voter records.
“These operational difficulties particularly affect first-time voters, rural citizens, individuals with disabilities, students, and workers, limiting their access to registration and threatening the participation of eligible voters in the electoral process without timely interventions;
“Early institutional preparedness is crucial for timely procurement of election materials, deployment of technology, recruitment and training of personnel, effective voter education, security planning, electoral risk assessment, and logistics nationwide”.
The lawmaker warned that failure to address the identified gaps in voter registration, logistics, technology deployment and funding could weaken public confidence in the electoral process and threaten the peaceful conduct of the elections.
He stressed that the National Assembly had a constitutional responsibility to ensure that public institutions entrusted with critical national assignments were adequately prepared, properly funded and accountable.
While acknowledging INEC’s efforts to strengthen the electoral system, Soro called for sustained parliamentary engagement to ensure that the 2027 elections were free, fair, credible, inclusive and peaceful.
Dasuki, who co-sponsored the motion, said the proposed engagement was in the interest of Nigerians, particularly given the security challenges confronting the country.
He expressed concern that insecurity could prevent residents of some constituencies and polling units from participating in the elections if adequate measures were not put in place.
“This is the very first time we are going into an election with 11 months of security concerns,” Dasuki said.
He disclosed that members of the House had presented about 255 security-related motions, arguing that the scale of insecurity required urgent attention as the country prepared for the 2027 polls.
The deputy minority leader maintained that some parliamentary constituencies and polling units might be unable to participate in the elections because of the security situation.
He insisted that INEC’s chairman was best placed to explain how the commission intended to address the threat and protect eligible voters from disenfranchisement.
The House said the INEC chairman should brief the committee on the “Commission’s readiness for the 2027 General Elections, Continuous Voter Registration, PVC management, election logistics, technology deployment (BVAS and IRev), personnel training, electoral security, risk assessment strategies, budget implementation, and insights from the recent Ekiti State and Osun Governorship Election”.
The commission is also expected to submit a comprehensive report on national election preparedness, including the progress of continuous voter registration, the production and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), technology and logistics readiness, and the mapping of areas facing operational challenges.
Other areas of concern include the recruitment and training of election officials, budgetary appropriations, funds released, outstanding releases and the implications of funding gaps for the implementation of the electoral timetable.
Although the original motion sought to summon Amupitan before the entire House at plenary, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu opposed that approach, arguing that it could undermine the responsibility of the committee charged with overseeing INEC.
Kalu said the commission had recently briefed the nation on its preparations for the 2027 elections and the challenges it was addressing.
He, however, supported parliamentary oversight, insisting that it should be conducted through the relevant committee.
“While I agree, the such oversight should be carried out, I believe that the oversight should be by the committee of the house that have been given this responsibility to do so. And that is why I stand not in support of the players of this particular motion, because supporting the players of this motion is belittling the mandates of the committee set up to carry this motion.
“Inviting the chairman of INEC to come and brief the house, when he just finished briefing the nation is not ideal. Don’t we believe in our committees again? Our committees are there, charged with the responsibility. The chairman and members of this committee are well-educated and well-informed to carry out their decisions,” Kalu said.
Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, clarified that the lawmakers were not opposed to inviting the INEC chairman but wanted the engagement to take place before the appropriate committee rather than at plenary.
He directed the committee to invite Amupitan and publicise the date of his appearance to enable interested members to participate.
“The Committee should invite the Chairman and should advertise the date of his appearance so that members who wants to attend and ask questions can do so,” Abbas said.
The committee’s planned engagement with Amupitan is expected to provide lawmakers with further details of the commission’s preparations, including its strategies for managing security risks and ensuring that voters can exercise their constitutional rights in the 2027 general elections.
