2027 elections: INEC reveals states with highest voters’ strength

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday announced that Lagos, Kano and Kaduna states have emerged as three states with the highest number of registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in Abuja at World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Meeting, while giving an update on the national voters’ register

He urged the federal government on “prompt release of the remaining budget to ensure seamless execution of the remaining activities,” commending “federal government’s commitment to democratic governance through the timely release of statutory budgetary allocations to the Commission.”

Amupitan said the national register of voters had risen to about 110 million, with Lagos leading the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the INEC chairman, Lagos has 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.

Katsina occupies the fourth position with 3,876,051 registered voters, while Rivers state has 3,736,434.

Oyo state follows with 3,588,111 voters, while Delta has 3,525,988.

Benue State has 3,057,225 registered voters, placing it eighth on the list, while Ogun state has 3,037,981.

Bauchi completes the top 10 with 3,012,547 registered voters.

The figures were announced as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission expected to commence nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on Friday, October 9.

The commission had earlier said its three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise produced more than 10.6 million new applicants.

INEC subsequently completed the public display of the preliminary voters’ register for claims and objections as well as the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) clean-up.

The commission urged newly registered voters to collect their PVCs and ensure that their details were correctly captured ahead of the elections.

For the 2027 general election, Amupitan said: “the Commission will require 707,384 ad hoc personnel for the Presidential and National Assembly elections on 16th January, and the same number for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on 6th February. That is a total of 1,414,768 engagements across 176,846 polling units, compared with about 1.2 million in 2023.

He reaffirmed that “the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff (INECPRES) opened at 8:00am on Friday, 18th September 2026 and will close at midnight on Wednesday, 18th November 2026.

“It is accessible through the INEC website, on both mobile and web applications, and a 24-hour helpdesk is available to applicants. Positions are open to Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers, Registration Area Centre Managers and RATECHs.

“Eligible applicants include serving corps members, recent former corps members, students of tertiary institutions, qualified public servants and ICT professionals. I urge all eligible Nigerians to apply early, and to supply accurate and verifiable information.”

The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while the governorship and State Assembly elections are slated for February 6.

INEC has continued to emphasise the importance of voter participation and public confidence in the electoral process as preparations intensify for the polls.

‘We won’t rest on our oars until deed is done’

INEC Chairman also declared that the commission would not rest until the “deed is done” after the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan urged Nigerians and all relevant stakeholders to support INEC in conducting the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan assured Nigerians and the international community of INEC’s neutrality.

“We assure the nation and the international community of our total neutrality, operational excellence, and the sacred integrity of the ballot box.

“Let us work together to make 2027 general elections a moment of pride for our nation.

“I want to express appreciation to our development partners who have worked with us, supported us to get this far. Let me say that until the deed is done after the general elections, we can’t rest on our oars,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chairman also spoke on arrangements for international observers and security ahead of the general elections.

He added: “The International Cooperation and Partnership 2027 Election Project plan provides a framework for managing international observer protocols, stakeholders engagement, security readiness, and validated timelines.

“Complementing this, the commission through its SERVICOM Unit continues to strengthen service delivery, operational transparency, and staff ethics by conducting freedom of information and capacity building workshops, as well as launching its revised integrated and medical service channels.”

 …We learnt from previous polls

The INEC boss ruled out the possibility of inconclusive elections in the 2027 general elections, saying it has continued to strengthen its electoral management processes.

Chairman of the commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated this on Tuesday at the World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Meeting in Abuja.

Amupitan said INEC had learnt important lessons from recent off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, which, according to him, would help the commission improve its conduct of the 2027 elections.

He said the commission was determined to ensure that the 2027 elections were conducted in a manner that would reflect the will of the electorate.

“We have continued to improve our electoral management and we are determined to ensure that the 2027 elections meet the expectations of Nigerians,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chairman said the commission had taken into account the experiences from previous elections it had conducted as it prepared for the 2027 general elections.

“The lessons from the elections we have conducted will guide us as we prepare for the 2027 general elections. Our objective is to ensure that the process is credible, transparent and acceptable to Nigerians,” he said.

Amupitan assured Nigerians that the commission would take all necessary measures to ensure that the elections were conducted in accordance with the law.

“Nigerians should be assured that INEC will do everything within its mandate to deliver free, fair, transparent and credible elections in 2027,” he said.

Amupitan urged political parties, candidates, voters and other stakeholders to support the commission in ensuring peaceful, credible and transparent elections in 2027.

On the petitions received by the commission, the INEC Chairman said, “All 112 formal complaints received from aspirants, candidates, and parties regarding the nomination process were investigated and resolved except those pending in the Court.

However, we have recently received complaints from some political parties and aggrieved aspirants, drawing our attention to the recent Supreme Court decision in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party delivered on 24th September, 2026, affirming the constitutionality of section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026 and also upholding our Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election.

“We only received the certified true copy of this judgment this morning, and it is being reviewed.”

IPAC urges Amupitan to remember life outside office

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Dantele, has urged the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to ensure that the 2027 general election was conducted in a free, fair and credible manner, reminding him that he would remain a Nigerian after his tenure at the commission.

While commending the Commission for what he described as the credible conduct of the Osun State governorship election, the IPAC chairman said political parties would expect nothing less in the 2027 elections.

He also commended Amupitan for organising the stakeholders’ engagement, describing it as the first of its kind, and urged the Commission to sustain regular consultations with political parties as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.

Yusuf further called on security agencies to strengthen their preparations ahead of the elections to ensure a peaceful electoral process.

He also urged INEC’s ad-hoc staff to resist attempts by desperate politicians to manipulate them or use them against the interest of the Nigerian people.

The IPAC chairman said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend on the commitment of all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, security agencies and election officials, to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.