By Stephen Oladele
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kwara state has assured that the 2027 general election in the state would reflect the will of people of the state.
The electoral body made the assurance in Ilorin during a seminar on the election the Correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state organised for its members.
The commission said the election would be on the basis of one man one vote and that the votes of the electorate would count.
Head, Voters Education and Publicity, of the INEC in the state, Dr Adejumo Peter while speaking on behalf of the commission in Ilorin, at the seminar organised said that the commission had ensured that the Permanent Vote:s Cards (PVC) of a person can not be used by another person to vote.
“INEC has done a lot that people cannot use others PVC to vote in an election. That is why politicians have resorted to vote-buying.
“Many of the politicians are still living in the past as stocking and carting away PVCs cannot ensure electoral victory.
“INEC in Kwara will follow the rules and procedures as laid down by our commission. We will ensure that the elections are done on one man, one vote basis. At the end of the exercise the outcome of the elections will reflect the will of the people.
“I urge politicians to play according to the rules. They should campaign and tell the electorates their manifestos. They should shun violence before, during and after the elections.
“Let us do the elections peacefully like sport. They should accept the outcome of the elections as it is,” Peter stated.
Also speaking, the Head, Legal Unit of the commission Atata Abdulfatai said the amended Electoral Act 2026 introduces innovation that would enhance transparency in the electoral process while also strengthening internal democracy.
Abdufatai who spoke on the topic “Dissecting the amended Electoral Act 2026: Innovations, and implications for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections” however said that success of the inovactions would dependent on effective implementations and judicial interpretation.
He stated “As Nigeria approaches 2027 general elections, the Act will serve as both a test and a tool for deepening the country’s democratic governance.”
“It introduces commendable reforms aimed at enhancing transparency, strengthening internal party democracy and leveraging technology.
“At the same time, it raises critical legal and practical questions, particularly in relation to constitutional consistency, the enforceability of campaign finance limits, the ouster of judicial jurisdiction party affair and the narrowing of grounds for election petitions.
“Ultimately, the success of these innovations will depend not only on their legislative design, but also on effective implementation, institutional capacity and judicial interpretation.”
