The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has directed Administrative Secretaries across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to close operational gaps and adopt a unified approach ahead of the 2027 General Election. Amupitan gave the directive on Monday, September……
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has directed Administrative Secretaries across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to close operational gaps and adopt a unified approach ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan gave the directive on Monday, September 7, 2026, in Lagos while opening a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for INEC Administrative Secretaries.
The INEC Chairman described the workshop as a specialised, election-focused “operational boot camp” designed to test the Commission’s preparedness and strengthen its operational machinery ahead of the 2027 polls.
He said the Commission was at a critical stage of preparations and could no longer afford inconsistencies in the interpretation of administrative responsibilities or operational practices across the country.
“We can no longer afford fragmented interpretations of administrative duties or disjointed operational practices from state to state,” he said.
Amupitan said the workshop was designed to eliminate guesswork and ensure that Administrative Secretaries across the country work with standardised national protocols.
The Chairman said the directive was also informed by INEC’s determination to transform lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State Governorship Election, into operational standards that could be applied nationwide.
He said recent elections had demonstrated the importance of effective logistics, functional technology and administrative discipline in delivering transparent and credible elections.
However, Amupitan cautioned that the operational environment of a single-state election was different from that of a nationwide general election.
He said this made it necessary for the Commission to replicate successful operational models across all 36 states and the FCT ahead of the 2027 elections.
Amupitan described the Administrative Secretary as the Commission’s “chief technical, operational and administrative anchor” at the state level.
He explained that while Resident Electoral Commissioners remain the political and institutional leads in the states, Administrative Secretaries are responsible for managing the daily machinery of INEC state offices, maintaining administrative continuity and overseeing operational processes that ultimately determine whether polling units open on time.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, urged Administrative Secretaries to use the workshop to critically examine existing processes, identify institutional gaps and develop practical solutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Welcoming the INEC Chairman, National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, South-West RECs, Directors, Administrative Secretaries, development partners and other participants to Lagos, Salami said the Commission’s approval of the workshop underscored the importance it attached to strengthening the capacity and operational readiness of Administrative Secretaries.
He said, “Their ability to coordinate people, resources, logistics, finance, infrastructure and administrative processes was directly linked to the success of electoral operations.”
Salami urged participants to bring their field experiences and challenges to the workshop and work collectively towards developing solutions that could improve electoral operations in their respective states.
He also stressed the need for stronger coordination between administrative and technical functions, improved accountability and resilient systems capable of responding to emerging operational demands.
The workshop forms part of INEC’s broader preparations for the 2027 General Election, with the Commission seeking to ensure greater consistency, efficiency and accountability in its operations nationwide.
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