The House of Representatives has invited the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to appear before its Committee on Electoral Matters to brief it on preparedness for the 2027 general elections and the readiness to ensure that no Nigerian is disenfranchised as a result of insecurity.
The invitation followed the adoption of a resolution following a motion by the House Minority Whip, Mr. Mansur Soro and Deputy Minority Leader, Abdulsamad Dasuki.
Presenting the motion for the approval of the House, Mr. Manu Soro said that pursuant to Sections 76, 116, 132 and 178 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Part I of the Third Schedule to the Constitution, and the Electoral Act, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is constitutionally mandated to organise, undertake and supervise elections into elective offices in Nigeria.
According to him, the 2027 General Elections’ credibility, transparency, and acceptability depend significantly on the Commission’s preparedness in voter registration, education, logistics, technology, personnel training, security coordination, funding, and timely election timetable implementation.
He maintained that the recently concluded Ekiti and Osun State Governorship Elections provided useful lessons on election administration, deployment of technology, logistics management, stakeholder engagement, security and voter participation, which should guide preparations for the forthcoming General Elections.
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.
He expressed concern that any delay in addressing existing operational gaps in voter registration, logistics, technology deployment, and funding may adversely affect public confidence in the electoral process and compromise the peaceful conduct of the 2027 General Elections.
He stressed the constitutional oversight responsibility of the parliament to ensure that public institutions entrusted with critical national assignments are adequately prepared, properly funded and fully accountable in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities.
He acknowledged the continuous efforts of INEC towards strengthening Nigeria’s electoral system while recognizing the need for sustained parliamentary engagement to guarantee free, fair, credible, inclusive and peaceful elections.
In his contribution to the motion, co-sponsor Abdulsamad Dasuki said what they were asking for was in the interest of Nigerians, especially at a time when insecurity is ravaging the country, saying, “This is the very first time we are going into an election with 11 months of security concerns.
The House said the INEC Chairman should appear before its committee within the next seven legislative days to speak 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”.
This includes the progress of continuous voter registration, the status of PVC production and distribution, the readiness of election technology and logistics, mapping of challenging areas, recruitment and training status of election officials and Budgetary appropriations, funds released, outstanding releases and the implications of any funding gaps on implementation timelines.
Although the original prayer of the motion was for the INEC Chairman to appear before the entire House at plenary, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, said there was no need to have the chairman appear before the House as it would amount to a vote of no confidence in the House Committee overseeing the commission.
Mr. Kalu said that from the content of the motion, it was obvious that the sponsors of the motion did not listen to the recent briefing of the INEC Chairman, where he outlined the preparation of the commission for the 2027 elections and how they were dealing with the challenges.
The Deputy Speaker said, “While I agree that such oversight should be carried out, I believe that the oversight should be by the committee of the house that has 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”.
Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, explained that the parliament was not against the motion to invite the INEC Chairman, but against inviting him to plenary.
The argument is that he should go to the committee and any member who is interested in the briefing should attend the committee sitting
