The Independent National Electoral Commission is currently developing its Election Project Plan for the 2027 general election. An official within the commission shared that insights gathered from the 2023 general election are being utilized in the preparations for 2027. The commission is updating its election templates to enhance the effectiveness and dependability of its processes for the upcoming election cycle.
As part of this initiative, a new 2027 – 2031 Strategic Plan is being formulated to replace the existing 2022 – 2026 Strategic Plan. This new plan will bridge the gap between 2026 and the 2027 general election. Unlike the previous strategic plan that focused on long-term institutional improvements, the Election Project Plan specifically targets the requirements of a general election year.
The Election Project Plan was first introduced for the 2015 general election and has since been adapted for subsequent elections, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections. Following the challenges encountered during the 2023 election, INEC is streamlining its procedures to ensure smoother operations in future elections. Despite facing logistical and technical obstacles during the 2023 election, which involved a large voter base spread across numerous polling units, the commission is working on optimizing its processes.
One notable issue during the 2023 election was the delay in uploading presidential election results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, attributed to technical glitches. The problem was resolved through software updates, allowing for successful uploads of the presidential election results later on election day.