The House of Representatives has summoned the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), to brief its Committee on Electoral Matters on preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly concerns over insecurity and the possible disenfranchisement of voters.
The development comes as the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council alleges a plot to postpone the January 16, 2027 election, warning President Bola Tinubu against using the Ebola outbreak as a justification to alter the electoral timetable.
INEC fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections and February 6 for the governorship and state House of Assembly elections.
The All Progressives Congress flagged off its nationwide campaign on October 24 in Kaduna, with the ADC campaign scheduled to begin in Sokoto on October 31.
Amid fear of an Ebola outbreak, the Federal Government, speaking through the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said there was no plan to stop the election campaign over the Ebola virus incident in the country.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives directed Prof. Amupitan to appear before its committee within seven legislative days to brief lawmakers on preparations.
The committee is expected to examine the commission’s readiness in continuous voter registration, Permanent Voter Cards management, election logistics, deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, personnel training, electoral security and funding.
It will also seek an assessment of lessons learnt from the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Minority Whip, Mansur Soro, and the Deputy Minority Leader, Abdulsamad Dasuki, during Wednesday’s plenary.
The House said Amupitan should provide a detailed report on the commission’s preparations, including the progress of voter registration, PVC production and distribution, deployment of election technology, recruitment and training of electoral officials, and identification of areas facing operational and security challenges.
Lawmakers also want details of budgetary appropriations, funds released, outstanding releases and the implications of any funding gaps for the implementation of the election timetable.
The sponsors had initially sought the INEC chairman’s appearance before the entire House at plenary.
However, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu opposed that aspect of the motion, arguing that the assignment should be handled by the committee constitutionally responsible for overseeing the commission.
Kalu said the proposed appearance before the full House could undermine the authority of the Committee on Electoral Matters, adding that Amupitan had recently briefed the public on the commission’s preparations and the challenges confronting it.
“While I agree such oversight should be carried out, I believe that the oversight should be by the committee of the House that has been given this responsibility to do so.
“Inviting the chairman of INEC to come and brief the House, when he just finished briefing the nation, is not ideal.
“Don’t we believe in our committees again? Our committees are there, charged with the responsibilities. The chairman and members of this committee are well-educated and well-informed to carry out their decisions,” he said.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas clarified that the House was not opposed to inviting the INEC chairman but insisted that the engagement should take place at committee level rather than during plenary.
“The committee should invite the chairman and should advertise the date of his appearance so that members who want to attend and ask questions can do so,” he said.
Presenting the motion, Soro cited Sections 76, 116, 132 and 178 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, provisions of the Constitution’s Third Schedule and the Electoral Act 2026, which establish INEC’s responsibility for organising, undertaking and supervising elections.
He said the credibility, transparency and acceptability of the 2027 elections would depend largely on the commission’s preparedness in voter registration, voter education, logistics, technology deployment, personnel training, security coordination and funding.
According to him, the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun provided useful lessons in election administration, logistics management, technology deployment, stakeholder engagement, security and voter participation.
The lawmaker also drew attention to operational difficulties reported at Continuous Voter Registration centres across the country, including inadequate registration equipment, insufficient personnel, network problems, prolonged waiting times and growing demand from citizens seeking to register or update their voter information.
“These operational difficulties particularly affect first-time voters, rural citizens, individuals with disabilities, students, and workers, limiting their access to registration and threatening the participation of eligible voters in the electoral process without timely interventions,” he said.
Dasuki, in his contribution, said the motion was intended to address concerns about the ability of eligible voters in insecure areas to participate in the elections.
“This is the very first time we are going into an election with 11 months of security concerns,” he said.
He disclosed that members of the House had sponsored about 255 motions relating to insecurity, arguing that the situation raised questions about whether residents of some constituencies and polling units would be able to vote.
He maintained that INEC needed to explain how it intended to manage elections in areas where insecurity could prevent voters from accessing polling units or disrupt electoral operations.
Accusing the Presidency of seeking a plan to postpone the January 16 presidential election, the ADC warned the President against using the Ebola outbreak as a justification for altering the electoral timetable.
The council alleged that Amupitan could be summoned to the Presidential Villa and pressured to shift the election, although it did not provide evidence to substantiate the claim.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the council said it was raising the alarm ahead of the alleged meeting and urged Amupitan to reject any attempt to change the election date.
“The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors at the Villa,” the council said.
It challenged Tinubu to seek another term through the ballot box rather than attempt to secure additional time in office through a postponement.
“If President Tinubu believes Nigerians want another four years of his government, he should face them at the ballot box, not seek more time through the back door,” the statement added.
The ADC campaign council said Nigerians had endured three and a half years of rising prices, declining purchasing power and economic hardship, arguing that voters should be allowed to assess the administration’s performance at the polls as scheduled.
It maintained that any attempt to alter the timetable without compelling justification would undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
On the reported Ebola concerns, the opposition campaign council acknowledged the seriousness of the public health threat but cautioned against using it as a political reason to delay the election.
“Ebola is a serious public health concern. Health professionals must be free to contain it, and INEC must take every necessary step to protect voters and election workers,” it said.
The council further claimed that the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris, had said there was no reason at present to postpone the election.
It urged the electoral commission to take necessary precautions to protect voters and election personnel while keeping to the published timetable.
The council also called on domestic election observers and international monitoring organisations to scrutinise any proposal to change the date, insisting that such a decision must be supported by publicly available health evidence.
“The Presidency must not use a health emergency to escape an electoral verdict,” it said.