By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday monitored the ongoing bye-elections across Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states as part of efforts to assess its electoral operations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, led National Commissioners and senior officials of the Commission in monitoring the elections from the Commission’s National Situation Room.
The exercise covers five legislative constituencies spread across the four states: the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in Gombe State; Dawakin Kudu State Constituency in Kano State; Sakwa and Disina State Constituencies in Bauchi State; and Udu State Constituency in Delta State.
The Commission had fixed September 19, 2026, for the bye-elections to fill the vacant legislative seats in the affected constituencies.
Amupitan, while monitoring the exercise, described bye-elections as important operational exercises for INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
According to the INEC chairman, the elections provide the Commission with an opportunity to examine its logistics, technology and administrative preparedness, while identifying areas that require further improvement.
“These four bye-elections provide indispensable operational lessons for the Commission as we systematically chart our roadmap toward the 2027 General Election,” Amupitan said.
He stressed that the Commission should not regard bye-elections as routine exercises, noting that every electoral exercise provides an opportunity to test systems and strengthen preparations for larger nationwide polls.
“Every election is a critical component of our broader preparations for the 2027 General Election,” he said, adding that the Commission would use the exercises to “continuously audit our logistics framework, stress-test our technological deployment, and evaluate administrative field readiness.”
The INEC chairman and his team monitored operational reports coming from the various constituencies as voting progressed.
Amupitan also said the Commission had identified and addressed administrative and operational challenges that arose before the polls, describing monitoring and proactive intervention as key responsibilities of the Situation Room.
“Our primary mandate in the Situation Room is monitoring and proactive crisis resolution,” he said.
He added that INEC remained committed to refining its processes to improve efficiency and public confidence in subsequent electoral exercises.
Precise Post recalls that the Commission’s monitoring of the four-state bye-elections comes as it continues preparations for the 2027 general elections, with INEC’s published timetable showing January 16, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and February 6, 2027, for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
The bye-elections therefore provide INEC with a series of live electoral exercises through which it can evaluate field operations and draw lessons ahead of the nationwide polls.
