…Gumus says nine activities completed as Kenya seeks Nigeria’s expertise ahead of August 2027 elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stepped up preparations for the 2027 general election, announcing that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been produced and non-sensitive election materials are already being dispatched to some states.
Acting INEC Chairman, Rhoda Gumus, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by a delegation of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), led by Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Isaac Parashina, in Abuja.
Gumus said the commission had completed nine scheduled activities and was intensifying preparations following an assessment tour of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to evaluate readiness, identify challenges and address gaps ahead of the polls.
“So far, we have been able to complete nine activities and we are still preparing for the next level of activities,” she said.
She said the commission’s assessment showed that preparations were progressing, with non-sensitive materials almost ready and already being transported to some zones.
“Right now, all non-sensitive materials are almost ready. In fact, today, as we speak here, the non-sensitive materials have been lifted to some zones,” Gumus said.
On voter registration materials, she disclosed that PVC production had been completed, with most states receiving their first and second batches, while collection was ongoing.
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“As of today, we can say that PVCs have been produced and the first, second batch, all the states, most of the states have received them. Their PVC collection is ongoing,” she said.
The acting chairman added that staff capacity building was ongoing at the commission’s headquarters and state offices, while procurement and deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) were also in progress.
However, she identified the absence of a provision for aspirant voting in the electoral law as an obstacle to proceeding with the process.
“Here, because we go by the law, in our electoral law, it is not included there, so we cannot go on for the aspirant voting for now until we amend the electoral law,” she said.
Gumus said the engagement with the Kenyan delegation would provide an opportunity for technical exchanges, with INEC directors expected to brief their visitors on the commission’s operations and activities.
Earlier, Parashina said the visit was part of Kenya’s benchmarking exercise ahead of its August 2027 general election, particularly efforts to expand voting opportunities for citizens living outside the country and special interest groups.
He said both countries shared several electoral challenges and stood to benefit from exchanging experiences.
“Next year, Kenya will also be in August holding general elections in August. So we are also in that preparation,” he said.
The High Commissioner said the success of Nigeria’s electoral process was important to Kenya and the wider African continent.
“The success of Nigeria remains a great success to Kenya and indeed to the continent. Everyone is looking at what Nigeria will do because it’s the biggest democracy in Africa,” he said.
He explained that the Kenyan delegation was particularly interested in Nigeria’s experience with diaspora voting and arrangements for special voting groups.
According to him, about 12 countries participated in Kenya’s diaspora voting arrangements during the last general election, but the country was seeking to expand the number to about 26.
“Currently we have about 12 of them that have voted in the last general election, but there is intention to expand to around, I think, 26,” Parashina said.
He said the proposed expansion was driven by constitutional requirements and court rulings, adding that the delegation had engaged Kenyans in Nigeria and conducted an assessment as part of its preparations.
Parashina expressed appreciation to INEC for receiving the delegation, saying Kenya looked forward to strengthening cooperation with the Nigerian electoral commission.
He also wished INEC success in its preparations for the 2027 general election.
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