2027 elections: INEC trains Ondo officers on monitoring, reporting

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced preparations for the 2027 general elections by training its officers in Ondo State on effective election monitoring, coordination and reporting.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, gave the charge on Friday during a two-day Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) Amber Zone Implementers’ Workshop in Akure.

Agboke, who was represented by the commission’s Administrative Secretary, Temitayo Adelusi, urged the officers to demonstrate competence and commitment in discharging their responsibilities, noting that effective election management was essential to the country’s democratic process.

He explained that the EMSC was established to provide a coordinated framework for gathering, validating and communicating electoral information, particularly in areas identified as amber and red zones.

According to him, the workshop was designed to equip Electoral Officers, Assistant Electoral Officers and desk officers from the state’s 18 local government areas with the necessary skills to implement the commission’s operational guidelines ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The 2027 EMSC operational guidelines clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of implementers, while officers must understand the procedures and processes required for effective election management,” he said.

Agboke also emphasised the importance of security throughout the electoral process, disclosing that INEC had engaged security personnel on electoral risk management to ensure the protection of lives, personnel and election materials, particularly at collation centres.

Earlier, the Head of the Planning and Monitoring Department, Abdulwasiu Oludegun, said the EMSC would help the commission shift from crisis-driven responses to proactive election management by tracking pre-election, election-day and post-election activities. He added that the centre would ensure timely, accurate and standardised reporting from field officers to the commission’s headquarters.