By Atlantic Reports

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State has met security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders to coordinate preparations for the 2027 general elections, with transport, voter safety and accessibility among its priorities.

Speaking at the meeting in Lagos on Tuesday, Resident Electoral Commissioner Prof. Ayobami Salami said the commission was moving from strategic planning into operational implementation.

He said nine of the 14 scheduled national election milestones had been completed as of October 6. He did not identify those milestones in the supplied account, leaving the figure as the commission’s reported assessment of progress.

Planning for Lagos’ Electoral Scale

Salami put Lagos’ registered voter population at 7,488,633, spread across 20 local government areas, 245 registration areas and 13,325 polling units.

He said the state’s population, commercial activity, traffic congestion, difficult-to-access settlements and riverine communities required locally tailored arrangements.

“Our commitment is to ensure that these challenges are anticipated and addressed through timely, coordinated and effective operational arrangements,” he said.

Preparations include transport planning, timely deployment of election materials, activation of Registration Area Centres and assessments of personnel and facilities.

For voters, these arrangements will help determine whether polling units receive staff and materials on time, particularly in communities where road congestion or water transport complicates access.

Salami said internal monitoring would identify operational problems early so they could be addressed before disrupting election activities.

National Equipment and Personnel Plans

The commissioner said the national voter register stood at approximately 103 million.

He reported ongoing preparations for the procurement and delivery of 57,000 additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, alongside software upgrades, battery optimisation and biometric calibration.

He also said nationwide transport arrangements covered more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats.

These figures describe planned national resources. The account did not specify how many devices, vehicles or boats had been secured, tested or allocated to Lagos.

Recruitment of approximately 1.4 million election personnel was ongoing through the INECPRES portal, Salami said, with applications scheduled to close on November 18.

Accessibility and Voter Protection

Salami said INEC would provide assistive materials where applicable, including Braille ballot guides, EC30 PWD posters and magnifying glasses, to support voters with disabilities.

He urged organisations representing persons with disabilities to continue recommending improvements to electoral access.

The account did not specify the quantities available or how polling units requiring particular materials would be identified. Those deployment decisions will matter to whether the inclusion commitment reaches voters who need support.

On security, Salami said INEC would work through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, led by the Nigeria Police Force, to identify and reduce electoral risks.

“Our collective priority is to safeguard voters, election personnel, observers, electoral materials and facilities throughout the electoral process,” he said.

He identified violence, intimidation, vote-buying and ballot snatching among the threats requiring preventive action and lawful enforcement.

Salami urged political parties, candidates and supporters to respect electoral rules, stressing that political competition could not justify violence or interference with citizens’ participation.

Warning Against Deepfakes and False Results

The commissioner also warned about misinformation and the use of artificial intelligence to produce manipulated images, fabricated reports, synthetic recordings, deepfakes and voice clones.

He urged political actors, journalists, civil society organisations and the public to verify election-related information through authorised INEC channels before sharing it.

Salami said official collation and declaration of results must be undertaken by authorised electoral officials through established procedures. Unverified figures and speculative reports, he warned, should not be presented as official results.

He called on civil society groups to strengthen voter education and urged registered voters to check their details on the voter register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards when available.

The meeting set out the commission’s preparations and expectations of its partners. Their effectiveness will depend on timely deployment, accessible polling arrangements and security measures that allow citizens to vote freely across Lagos’ urban, remote and riverine communities.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.