The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards would begin on October 9
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, issued the directive on Monday during the North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election in Kaduna.
The Commission also urged its officials to address operational gaps and reinforce neutrality as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather pace.
The engagement is part of INEC’s six-zone national tour to assess its preparedness, identify challenges affecting field operations and develop solutions ahead of the elections.
Amupitan said the exercise aimed to strengthen the foundations of the electoral process and emphasized that an election’s success largely depended on grassroots activities.
“The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is decided in the field,” he said.
He urged officials to use the engagement to identify practical challenges confronting election administration in their areas and work with the headquarters to resolve them before election day.
The INEC chairman said the Commission was drawing lessons from recent elections as it prepared for the larger national assignment in 2027.
He also warned officials against partisan conduct and administrative negligence, stressing that neutrality and professionalism among field personnel would be critical to public confidence in the electoral process.
Amupitan said INEC’s focus remained on ensuring that avoidable operational weaknesses did not undermine the conduct of the 2027 elections.
