The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has directed its Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) across the country to intensify voter education and sensitisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, gave the directive on Wednesday in Abuja during a meeting with RECs and the swearing-in of the new REC for Abia State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Joseph. He urged Nigerians to take advantage of the commission’s platforms, particularly the online Polling Unit Locator, to confirm their polling units well before the 2027 polls.
Amupitan acknowledged a modest improvement in voter turnout during the recent FCT Area Council elections but noted that voter apathy remains a major concern. According to him, participation increased from 9.4 per cent in 2022 to about 15 per cent, with over 239,000 voters casting ballots compared to 148,685 in 2022. Despite the improvement, he stressed that sustained efforts are required to deepen voter engagement and rebuild public confidence in the electoral process.
Addressing complaints of alleged “voter migration” in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the INEC chairman clarified that no such exercise took place in 2026. He explained that the redistribution of voters occurred in 2022 as part of a nationwide effort to decongest about 12,000 polling units and create over 56,000 new ones. The exercise, he said, involved redistributing about 6.7 million voters from congested polling units to newly created ones located within the same communities, often just a few metres away, to improve access and reduce overcrowding.
In the FCT alone, he said, 411 polling units were decongested and approximately 580,000 voters were redistributed to 1,156 polling units. He added that these same voters participated in the 2023 general elections in their updated locations.
Amupitan also recalled that during a mock accreditation exercise on February 7 in the FCT, some voters reported difficulty locating polling units that were adjusted in 2022. In response, INEC sent fresh text messages and emails to affected voters containing links to the Polling Unit Locator and directed that the voter register be displayed again in affected areas ahead of the election.
While noting that the commission undertook widespread publicity efforts, he admitted that some voters still struggled to find their polling units. He emphasised that even well-intentioned policies would fall short if citizens do not fully understand the processes.
The INEC chairman therefore instructed all RECs to make voter awareness campaigns continuous rather than episodic, urging citizens to verify their polling details early and, where necessary, physically visit their polling units before election day to avoid last-minute confusion.
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