By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia Reporter
COLLECTION OF newly printed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will commence early next month, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced as preparations intensify for the 2027 General Election.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the announcement was made in Kaduna on Monday, 28 September 2026, during the North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election.
Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed that the collection would begin as scheduled, adding that the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, had informed the Emir of Zazzau during a courtesy visit to the monarch.
Haruna appealed to traditional rulers to encourage eligible citizens to collect their cards and exercise their constitutional right to vote.
The PVC collection announcement came as the INEC chairman warned electoral officers and other staff in the North-West against partisan conduct, administrative negligence and ethical breaches ahead of the 2027 elections.
Addressing Electoral Officers, Heads of Departments and senior administrative staff from the zone, Amupitan said the Commission would strictly enforce its code of conduct.
“Partisan leaning, administrative negligence, or compromised ethics will not be tolerated,” he said. “Every officer must understand that protecting INEC’s institutional integrity is non-negotiable.”
He said the conduct of field staff remained central to the credibility of elections, warning that administrative failures could strengthen false narratives, voter apathy and disinformation.
“When a polling unit opens late, when an officer displays nonchalance or perceived bias, or when technical glitches are met with silence, we inadvertently validate the cynics, deepen voter apathy, and fuel disinformation,” he said.
Amupitan said the “conduct, competence, and character” of field officers could either provide the Commission’s strongest defence against fake news or become its biggest catalyst.
He reminded officials of the oath of loyalty and neutrality required under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 for electoral officials and security personnel taking part in elections.
He said the oath commits every officer to administering elections without a preferred candidate or political party.
“The question must never be ‘Who will benefit from this decision?’ but always ‘What does the law require me to do?’” he stated.
The INEC chairman also cautioned staff against improvisation, saying informal shortcuts were dangerous in election administration. He directed officers to follow procedures provided under the Electoral Act 2026, the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2026 and the guidelines for political parties.
He directed staff to escalate operational difficulties through formal institutional channels whenever they arise.
Amupitan said a sound legal framework and modern technology alone could not guarantee electoral credibility, stressing that the credibility of an election depended on how faithfully officials implemented the law.
“The credibility of an election depends on how faithfully the law is implemented by the officials entrusted with its administration,” he said.
He described INEC staff as the face of the Commission in their communities, telling them: “To the voter in a local ward, INEC is not the Chairman in Abuja; INEC is you.”
He urged the officials to “know the law, understand your responsibility, remain neutral, document your actions”, adding that every administrative decision must withstand public scrutiny and judicial review.
The Kaduna meeting forms part of a six-zone Interactive Meetings and Readiness Assessment tour of the federation ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan said the Commission was breaking with more than two decades of practice in which zonal preparations of this nature were coordinated through delegated structures or handled at the level of National Commissioners and headquarters directorates.
“I am here with you in person, accompanied by National Commissioners and Directors, because I firmly believe that the true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is decided in the field,” he said.
He recalled the Commission’s performance in recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State Governorship Election, and credited the outcome to the dedication of its staff.
He, however, cautioned that “the praise of yesterday raises the expectations of tomorrow”, noting that the 2027 elections would be a simultaneous national exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
JKNewsMedia.com also reports that INEC said the Presidential and National Assembly Elections are scheduled for Saturday, 16 January 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will hold on Saturday, 6 February 2027. INEC’s published election calendar also lists those dates for the 2027 polls.
On staff welfare, Amupitan assured participants of the Commission’s commitment to their welfare and security. He said INEC was at an advanced stage of implementing a new salary and welfare package.
He said the Commission established the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS) with effect from 1 January 2026, moving its workforce out of the regular Civil Service structure. He added that overheads to State Offices were increased by 150 per cent from 1 July 2026.
The chairman further announced that the Commission had commenced the procurement and distribution of new operational pick-up vehicles, which are being dispatched to State Offices and Local Government Areas nationwide to improve the mobility, security and operational efficiency of staff.
Earlier, Haruna said the Kaduna meeting was the second in the six-zone tour after Lagos and was designed to rally staff towards delivering the best election in Nigeria’s history.
Director of Planning and Monitoring, Helen Ajayi, said the zonal exercise was designed to assess the level of preparedness of states and identify operational challenges before the elections.
She added that the sessions would also ensure that staff across the zone remained aligned with the Commission’s Code of Conduct ahead of the polls.
Directors and representatives from the Voter Education and Publicity, Voter Registry, ICT, Human Resources, and Election and Operations departments also made presentations on their respective areas of responsibility and what staff needed to know in preparation for the 2027 elections.
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