The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ordered its personnel to suspend further annual leave ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that staff who engage in negligence, absenteeism, or political partisanship will face sanctions.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, issued the directive on Friday during a readiness assessment meeting with commission staff in Lokoja, Kogi State. He warned that “partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract decisive sanctions.”
The chairman directed Resident Electoral Commissioners and Administrative Secretaries to enforce strict attendance and accountability measures as the commission prepares for elections involving over 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly polls will be held on February 6.
Beyond the warning, Amupitan announced welfare and logistical measures, including the implementation of the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure, a 150 percent increase in monthly overhead allocations to state offices from July 1, 2026, and the distribution of operational vehicles.
He also disclosed that INEC is configuring 57,000 newly procured Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and auditing its electronic result management systems. The certified voters’ register is set to be published on December 15, 2026.
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