INEC launches real-time tracker as voter registration nears 100 million

The Independent National Electoral Commission is getting ready to use a real-time election tracker. This tool will help monitor preparations for the 2027 general elections in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

This tracker will allow INEC leaders to see updates on logistics, recruitment, training of ad hoc staff, technology, and other election plans. This is part of efforts to avoid last-minute issues as the polls approach.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, shared this news on Monday in Lagos during a two-day workshop for administrative secretaries. He said, "The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to roll out a first-of-its-kind, real-time readiness tracker that will allow the Commission to monitor election preparations across all 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory instantly, as the national voter register approaches the historic 100 million mark ahead of the 2027 General Election," according to a statement from the commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi.

The workshop aims to create a standardised Excel-based Administrative Secretary Master Operational Tracker Template. This template will connect to INEC’s Election Monitoring and Support Centre dashboard and Election Project Plan.

Amupitan explained that INEC had not had a proper method for monitoring the work of administrative secretaries across Nigeria. He said the new system would help by giving Resident Electoral Commissioners, national commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, and headquarters "instant visibility" into the state of preparations.

The tracker will focus on areas like the distribution of election materials, training for ad hoc staff, and overall readiness at the state level. Amupitan noted that the goal is to move away from the traditional last-minute approach. He said the aim is to replace "reactive panic with proactive management."

The Chairman also mentioned that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which happened in three phases between August 2025 and July 2026, recorded 10,772,421 new registrants. This number is still subject to ongoing verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System.

Amupitan added that the Commission’s National Register of Voters is "approaching the 100 million mark". He assured that no eligible Nigerian will be left out due to problems with PVC distribution. He said Continuous Voter Registration is one of five major areas being looked at during the workshop. Other areas include logistics and materials management, electoral technology, ad hoc staff optimisation, and financial compliance.

He noted that the tracker is not just for the 2027 elections. It will also serve as a permanent guide for future administrative secretaries. He explained that the commission is learning from recent elections, especially the Osun State governorship election. In that election, good logistics and working technology led to what INEC called a transparent process.

"We are now working to replicate that standard nationally," Amupitan said. He mentioned that the commission has about six months to prepare for the 2027 general election.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are set for January 16, 2027. The governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections will take place on February 6.

On preparations, the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said the workshop is timely. He thanked the European Union for its support through the Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria programme.

The Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, mentioned that the workshop will help ensure that the headquarters and state offices follow the same Election Project Plan. She added that every state delegation should leave the workshop with a logistics risk register, an ad hoc recruitment and deployment plan, and a stakeholder engagement plan for the next three months.

Meanwhile, Amupitan warned INEC staff that the pressure ahead of the 2027 election will be high. At another meeting in Lagos, he said the commission’s staff are on the frontline of Nigeria’s democracy. "The eyes of 200 million Nigerians, and the world, are fixed on us," he said.

This meeting took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, and it began a six-zone tour by the commission to check its readiness for the 2027 elections. Amupitan said this is a change from over 20 years of practice where zonal preparations were mainly managed by headquarters.

He said INEC’s readiness will be tested not in Abuja but at local government areas, registration centres, and polling units across Nigeria. He pointed out that voter apathy, public distrust, and misinformation are serious threats to the 2027 elections.

He added that the skills and conduct of INEC’s field officers will be the commission’s strongest defence against false narratives. The commission is also improving its result management systems, including the new eEC8A, to enhance result verification from polling units to the national collation centre.

Amupitan warned INEC staff against partisan behaviour and negligence, citing Section 26 of the Electoral Act. This section requires electoral and security personnel to take an oath of neutrality. The South-West engagement will focus on logistics, technology, security, voter education, recruitment, and stakeholder engagement as preparations ramp up for the 2027 elections.