INEC ‌‌‍⁠‍⁠⁠‍‌‍‌‍‍‍⁠‌Explores Youth Partnerships, Grassroots to Boost Voter Education

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it is deepening its voter education through grassroots outreach and partnership with youth organisations ahead of the 2027 general election.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this at a youth engagement programme in Abuja on Thursday.
Amupitan was represented by the National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Dr Muhammad Haruna.
Haruna is also the Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (INEC).
The Abuja Global Shapers Community (AGS) convened the programme in collaboration with Yiaga Africa, Enough is Enough Nigeria and the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF).
The theme of the dialogue was: The Electorate: A Youth Dialogue with INEC on the 2027 General Elections.
Amupitan said the commission was addressing information gaps by organising public briefings and establishing an electoral logistics committee to handle recruitment of members of staff.
Speaking at the dialogue, he said that INEC coordinated closely with leading security agencies such as the police and the army to keep security personnel properly informed about their roles during the elections.
On logistics, he said that sensitive materials were delivered straight to the Central Bank vaults, with political parties invited to witness the transparent distribution process.
“We always deliver them straight to the CBN, to the vaults of the CBN, so that nobody will think there are some duplicates,” he said.
He explained that the commission conducted reverse logistics to collect election materials post-election and procured replacements to accommodate an anticipated increase of over 10 million new voters.
He highlighted that the commission managed comprehensive training programmes for both permanent and ad hoc staffers while preparing standby personnel to handle unexpected absenteeism.
While addressing transparency and technological safeguards, he explained that the Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was designed for real-time transmission of results rather than directly governing the election outcome.
The commissioner also emphasised the importance of high voter turnout as a safeguard to election integrity.
Addressing the recruitment process for ad hoc staff, Amupitan said the commission traditionally partnered with universities to enlist registration and collation officers.
He further said the commission balanced that by involving multiple professional bodies to safeguard integrity.
He said the commission used SMS to inform voters about unit adjustments affecting them and ensured that their new locations remained within a comfortable distance.
He highlighted that the commission ensured Internally Displaced Persons could register and vote.
Amupitan said that while electronic transmission was used for transparency, the actual collation process remained fundamentally physical, which entailed that any discrepancy would be resolved manually before final processing.
On health emergencies and public safety guidelines, Amupitan said that while it was too early for definitive measures against disease outbreaks, the commission was prepared to implement necessary hygiene and distancing policies as might be recommended by relevant authorities.
Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, Director, Voter Education and Publicity for INEC, explained that the commission relied on voter education to cascade enlightenment campaigns from national to sub-national levels.
“Even though we are using our electronic platforms, we are also doing door-to-door, and we do grassroots enlightenment and outreach as well,” she said.