The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved a new salary structure, enhanced field allowances and a 150 per cent increase in monthly overhead allocations to its state offices as part of measures to strengthen preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The commission also directed its personnel to suspend further annual leave, warning that negligence, absenteeism, partisanship and financial impropriety would attract disciplinary action.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced the measures on Friday in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 general election.

He said the welfare and operational reforms were intended to improve staff motivation, strengthen field operations and ensure effective delivery of elections involving more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units nationwide.

Amupitan disclosed that the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), introduced following the commission’s departure from the conventional civil service salary structure, took effect from January 1, 2026.

He said processes for cash-backing the new salary arrangement were ongoing, adding that enhanced salary, hazard and field allowance packages had also been approved for personnel.

The chairman further said the commission had increased monthly overhead allocations to state offices by 150 per cent with effect from July 1, 2026.

On logistics, he disclosed that operational pick-up vehicles had been distributed to state and Local Government Area offices nationwide, while 20 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) had been procured for Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

He added that Administrative Secretaries would also receive new vehicles to improve the commission’s operational capacity.

Amupitan, however, said improved welfare and logistics must be matched by discipline, political neutrality and commitment to duty.

He directed RECs and Administrative Secretaries to enforce strict attendance monitoring and accountability, warning that the commission would not tolerate conduct capable of undermining the credibility of the elections.

“Every staff member must remain neutral, professional and committed to the electoral process. Partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism will not be tolerated,” he said.

The INEC chairman said the commission was also strengthening its technological capacity ahead of the polls, particularly in voter accreditation and electronic management of results.

He disclosed that 57,000 newly procured Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices were being configured alongside existing equipment to improve voter verification and accreditation.

According to him, electronic result management platforms, including the eEC8A verification system, were undergoing audits to ensure transparent transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

He said the commission had also activated Printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC Location Portal to make it easier for registered voters to access their cards.

Amupitan disclosed that the preliminary voters’ register had been published for public scrutiny, while the certified Register of Voters would be released on December 15, 2026.

On concerns over photographs appearing on the preliminary register, he said the data remained subject to verification before the final register was published.

The chairman also identified insecurity and the spread of misinformation as major threats to the 2027 elections, announcing a strengthened security coordination framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.

The framework, under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), is designed to extend security coordination from the national level to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres.

He said the arrangement would enable security agencies to identify potential flashpoints, protect election personnel and materials and ensure that voters could access polling units without intimidation.

The agencies involved include the military, police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Customs, Immigration, Correctional Service and Federal Road Safety Corps.

Amupitan said the commission would deploy Electoral Risk Management tools to identify security threats and seasonal risk factors ahead of election day.

He warned that anyone who threatened, intimidated or harmed ad-hoc personnel, National Youth Service Corps members or permanent staff would face the full weight of the law.

The chairman also cautioned against misinformation, fabricated media content and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, saying such developments could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

He argued that the best defence against misinformation was transparent administration and efficient field operations, noting that delayed opening of polling units, technical failures and misconduct by electoral personnel could create opportunities for false narratives.

Amupitan said the North-Central assessment was particularly important given the strategic position of the zone and its combined 15,448,869 registered voters across Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory.

The breakdown showed that Benue has 2,777,727 registered voters, Plateau 2,787,273, Niger 2,698,344, Kogi 1,932,654, Nasarawa 1,899,244, Kwara 1,698,627 and the FCT 1,655,000.

He said the assessment was designed to identify operational weaknesses before election day, ensure that local challenges were incorporated into national planning and prevent voters from being disenfranchised by administrative or logistical failures.

The chairman disclosed that the commission had completed nine of the 14 major milestones in its statutory timetable, saying the remaining activities required sustained attention as the elections approached.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.

He said INEC had conducted governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, FCT Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections under his administration, describing the exercises as opportunities to test and improve its operational arrangements.

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kogi State, Dr. Alhaji Shehu L. Wahab, said the state office was intensifying preparations despite additional responsibilities arising from the restoration of 12 previously suppressed state constituencies.

He said the office had commenced internal preparations, including electoral risk management activities, election monitoring, security coordination and voter awareness programmes for persons with disabilities.

Wahab said the commission was also working with security agencies to address the perception of Kogi as a violence-prone state during elections.

In her remarks, the Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs Helen Ajayi, said the zonal assessment was aimed at evaluating the preparedness of state offices, identifying operational and logistical challenges, improving staff motivation and monitoring the implementation of the commission’s strategic plans.

She urged Electoral Officers and other field personnel to cooperate with the assessment teams and work closely with the Planning and Monitoring Department to identify gaps and ensure effective implementation of planned activities.

The Lokoja meeting, which brought together National Commissioners, RECs, Directors, Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments and Electoral Officers, marked the conclusion of INEC’s nationwide zonal readiness assessment.

The engagement followed similar meetings in the South-West, North-West, South-East, North-East and South-South zones.

The chairman had on Thursday paid a courtesy visit to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers, where he sought the support of traditional institutions for voter mobilisation, peaceful political participation and efforts to combat electoral misinformation.

The 2027 general elections will be conducted across 176,846 polling units, with INEC expected to translate its preparations at the national headquarters into effective operations across states and local government areas. (Weekend Trust)