The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that votes cast in the 2027 general elections will count, pledging to conduct credible polls that reflect the will of the electorate.
The Head of Voter Education and Publicity, INEC Kwara State, Dr. Adejumo Peter, gave the assurance on Thursday in Ilorin during a seminar organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Peter said the commission would act within its constitutional mandate to ensure elections were conducted based on the principle of one person, one vote.
He dismissed claims that politicians could influence election outcomes by stockpiling Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), describing the practice as obsolete.
According to him, technological safeguards introduced by INEC have made it impossible for anyone to use another person’s PVC to vote.
“Many politicians are still living in the past because stockpiling or carting away PVCs cannot guarantee electoral victory. That is why they have resorted to vote-buying,” he said.
Peter urged political parties and candidates to conduct peaceful campaigns, focus on presenting their manifestoes to voters and avoid violence before, during and after the elections.
“We will ensure that elections are conducted on the basis of one person, one vote. At the end of the exercise, the outcome will reflect the will of the people,” he said, adding that politicians should accept the outcome of credible elections.
Also speaking at the seminar, themed “Dissecting the Amended Electoral Act 2026: Innovations and Implications for Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections,” the Head of INEC’s Legal Unit in Kwara State, Atata Abdulfatai, described the amended Electoral Act as a significant step in Nigeria’s electoral development.
Abdulfatai said the legislation introduced reforms aimed at improving transparency, strengthening internal party democracy and expanding the use of technology in the electoral process.
He, however, noted that the law also presents legal and practical challenges, including issues relating to constitutional consistency, enforcement of campaign finance limits, judicial jurisdiction over party affairs and the grounds for election petitions.
“The success of these innovations will depend not only on their legislative design but also on effective implementation, institutional capacity and judicial interpretation,” he said.
