The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that the 2027 general elections will reflect the will of the electorate, saying it remains committed to conducting a credible, free and fair exercise.
The assurance was given by the Head of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC’s Kwara State office, Dr Adejumo Peter, during a seminar organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ilorin on Thursday.
Peter said the commission would strictly adhere to its guidelines and procedures to ensure that every valid vote counts.
“INEC in Kwara will follow the rules and procedures as laid down by our commission. We will ensure that the elections are done on a one-man, one-vote basis. At the end of the exercise, the outcome of the elections will reflect the will of the people,” he said.
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He also dismissed the notion that stockpiling Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) could influence election outcomes, noting that technological innovations introduced by the commission had made such practices ineffective.
“INEC has done a lot so that people cannot use another person’s PVC to vote in an election. That is why politicians have resorted to vote-buying. Many of them are still living in the past because stockpiling PVCs cannot guarantee electoral victory,” he said.
The INEC official urged political parties and their candidates to embrace issue-based campaigns and avoid actions capable of undermining the electoral process.
He called on politicians to present their manifestoes to the electorate and allow voters to make informed choices at the polls.
“Political parties and their candidates should obey the rules, focus on selling their manifestoes to voters and avoid any form of violence before, during and after the elections. Elections should be conducted peacefully, and everyone should respect the outcome,” he said.
Also speaking, the Head of INEC’s Legal Unit in Kwara State, Atata Abdulfatai, described the amended Electoral Act 2026 as a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 polls.
He said the legislation introduced reforms aimed at improving transparency, deepening internal democracy within political parties and expanding the use of technology in the country’s electoral process.