The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will tomorrow begin the 100-day countdown to the 2027 general elections with a world press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, as political activity intensifies amid party disputes, defections and consultations ahead of the polls.

The event will provide an opportunity for the commission to give updates on its preparations for the polls, including the voters’ register, candidate nominations, logistics and measures being put in place to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.

In a statement yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the commission said the event would also provide a platform for engagement with major stakeholders in the electoral process.

“The event will be addressed by INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, alongside other key stakeholders involved in the electoral process. The national stakeholders’ meeting underlines the Commission’s commitment to absolute transparency, proactive public communication, and collaborative engagement with key actors in the electoral ecosystem.”

According to the Commission, political party leaders, security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, members of the diplomatic corps, development partners, civil society organisations, observer groups, disability rights advocates, religious and traditional leaders, youth organisations and media executives are expected at the meeting.

The meeting comes as preparations for the 2027 elections enter a critical phase.

INEC’s timetable fixes February 20, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for March 6, 2027.

The commission had earlier outlined a series of activities leading to the polls, including party primaries, candidate nominations and other pre-election processes. The electoral calendar is being implemented under the legal framework governing the 2027 elections.

Amupitan, who assumed office as INEC chairman in October 2025, has said the commission’s mandate is to deliver free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive elections.

Tomorrow’s engagement will therefore bring the commission together with political parties, security agencies and other stakeholders as the election calendar moves towards the February and March 2027 polls.

The event will be held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja from 10:00 a.m.

The commission added that attendance would be strictly by invitation, while accredited media representatives and guests would be required to present their invitation cards or accreditation badges at security checkpoints.

The event will be broadcast live on major national television networks and streamed on INEC’s official social media platforms.”

AA accuses INEC of disobeying court judgment

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), Kenneth Udeze, has said the planned world press conference by INEC is a dangerous threat to the general elections.

He said the conference is a mockery of the rule of law in Nigeria.

In a statement he signed, Udeze said: “We state categorically that this conference is a jamboree of bias and an exercise in futility if the authentic leadership of the Action Alliance, affirmed by the Court of Appeal, the superior court of record, is deliberately excluded.

“It is settled law that INEC cannot come to equity with unclean hands. How can an institution that claims neutrality, transparency and independence be trusted with pre-election and post-election litigations when it openly disobeys and treats with contempt subsisting and binding judgments of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the Udeze-led National Executive as the authentic leadership of the Action Alliance?

“We condemn in the strongest terms this exclusionary and partisan World Press Conference.

“No stakeholders meeting on 2027 is credible or complete without the authentic AA leadership under Chief Udeze.”

Udeze said the Chairman of INEC, Prof Joash Amupitan, being a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, knows that a Federal High Court cannot overrule the Court of Appeal.

He said: “We demand he immediately correct this anomaly and demonstrate respect for the Rule of Law.

“INEC must publicly explain to Nigerians why it is choosing which court order to obey.

“INEC must immediately withdraw recognition from impostors and give full effect to the Court of Appeal judgments by recognising and publishing the candidates duly nominated by the Udeze-led NEC.

“If INEC continues on this path of illegality and selective justice, Nigerians should not be deceived; the 2027 elections are already compromised from the source. You cannot build a credible election on a foundation of disobedience to the law.

“The Action Alliance under Chief Udeze remains the authentic and lawful Action Alliance and will not be cowed or excluded by any jamboree.”

Tinubu meets Lagos monarch, political leaders, business figures

President Bola Tinubu’s return to Lagos from France has been followed by meetings with political leaders, traditional rulers and business figures as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Tinubu returned to Lagos on September 29 after his European trip, with the Presidency saying he would hold strategic meetings with political leaders and associates during his stay.

Since his return, the President has received Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and prominent businessmen Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu at his Ikoyi residence.

Yesterday, Tinubu visited the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, at the Iga Idunganran Palace, where the monarch received him and offered prayers for his administration and the country.

The visit attracted residents, supporters, members of the All Progressives Congress and well-wishers who gathered along parts of Marina and Isale Eko as the President’s convoy made its way to the palace.

The atmosphere around Iga Idunganran reflected the cultural significance of the meeting, with traditional drumming, praise singing and other forms of local celebration accompanying the President’s arrival.

Tinubu, who is from Lagos and served as governor of the state between 1999 and 2007, exchanged pleasantries with the monarch before proceeding into the palace for the meeting.

The visit brought together political and traditional figures, underscoring the long-standing relationship between the Presidency and the traditional institution in Lagos.

Those who accompanied Tinubu included Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the APC governorship candidate in Ogun State, Adeola Olamilekan, APC stalwarts and other political associates.

Members of the Lagos State chapter of the City Boy Movement were also among those who turned out for the President’s visit. (The Guardian)

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