2027: INEC, NOA to build joint campaigns against toxic menace of vote-buying, misinformation

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) have pledged to build joint campaigns against the toxic menace of vote-buying and misinformation, which threaten to contaminate Nigerian democracy.

The two national agencies pledged to work together with field officers with the accurate technical knowledge of INEC’s operations so that they can act as trusted ambassadors of truth in their respective communities.

While welcoming the NOA delegation led by Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general of the agency, the INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, promised the NOA DG, that the commission’s doors were wide open for partnerships with the agency.

Addressing the NOA delegation at the INEC conference room in Abuja, Amupitan said the Commission was ready to pool its resources, share data, and give their teams all the institutional support required to make the collaboration a resounding success.

“When we look at the landscape of our nation today as we prepare for the 2027 general election, it becomes immediately clear that INEC cannot build a robust democracy in isolation. We can purchase the finest Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, we can optimise the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to international standards, and we can map out the most logistical routes for material deployment. But all of these technological and administrative triumphs mean nothing if the citizens remain detached, uniform, cynical, or completely uneducated about the power of their votes.

“This is where the National Orientation Agency comes in. The NOA is, without a doubt, Nigeria’s premier organization for civic orientation. While INEC is the umpire that sets up the field and manages the game, the NOA is the custodian of the values that make the players and the spectators respect the rules. You speak the languages of our people, you understand their local fears, and you know how to navigate the cultural nuances that shape public opinion.

“Our partnership with you on voter education is not a secondary option; it is an absolute necessity.

“We must be honest with ourselves. We are battling a silent, dangerous enemy in our electoral ecosystem: voter apathy and deep-seated cynicism. We see it in the off-cycle polls where turnout does not match the energy of our national conversations. We also see a sophisticated, orchestrated wave of fake news and disinformation designed to make the ordinary Nigerian believe their vote will not count.

“Together, INEC and the NOA must rewrite this narrative. We need to co-create a decentralised, grassroots voter education campaign that goes beyond simply telling people when to vote. We need to teach them why their vote matters and how our new legal and technological safeguards protect their choices. We must look the rural farmer, the marketplace woman, and the disillusioned urban youth in the eye and explain to them, in the language they understand, that because of the current technological infrastructure, the era of snatching ballot boxes or rewriting results manually is gone.

“We do not have to look far to see the practical validation of these upgrades. The recent February 21 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and the June 20 off-cycle Governorship election in Ekiti State served as critical, real-world stress tests for our machinery. In both outings, our operational achievements were undeniable: we recorded over 90 percent early opening of polling units, impressive biometric authentication via the BVAS, and exceptionally swift, transparent result uploads to the IReV portal. Administratively and technologically, the template is working.

“Yet, these very same elections brought a sobering discovery to the fore—one that underscores why your visit today is so timely. Despite our operational precision, both the FCT and Ekiti polls revealed a persistent, deeply concerning undercurrent of voter apathy, alongside widespread confusion among urban newcomers regarding local polling unit splits and registration transfers. This is a clear indicator that while our technology is moving forward, civic familiarity with the evolving system is lagging. It is a loud diagnostic signal that far more needs to be done in the area of intensive, deep-rooted voter education, and it proves that we cannot afford to wait until the eve of the 2027 polls to start talking to our people.”

The INEC Chairman said he was particularly excited about the leadership at the NOA because it understands modern strategic communication.

“You know that civic orientation in 2026 cannot rely on the old, top-down bureaucratic methods. It must be digital; it must be relational, and it must resonate with the massive youth population of our country.

“As we look toward the 2027 timelines —with our Presidential election firmly set for January 16 and Governorship polls for February 6— we must begin the heavy lifting right now. This is the moment to institutionalise our collaboration. I want to see a strong working relationship between INEC’s Voter Education department and the NOA’s communication teams. Let us build joint campaigns against the toxic menace of vote-buying and misinformation, which threaten to contaminate our democracy. Let us work together with your field officers with the accurate technical knowledge of INEC’s operations so they can act as trusted ambassadors of truth in their respective communities.

“My pledge to you today, DG, is that our doors are wide open. We are ready to pool our resources, share our data, and give your teams all the institutional support required to make this collaboration a resounding success.”

Earlier, the Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu applauded the commission under the leadership of Joash Amupitan for conducting the FCT and Ekiti State elections without hitches and urged the commission to continue to put the interest of Nigerians first in discharging its activities.

Present at the event include, the Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, Management Staff of the NOA, National Commissioners of INEC, the Secretary to the Commission, Acting Director-General, Electoral Institute, technical aides to the INEC chairman, Directors and Senior Officials of INEC and members of the INEC Press Corps.