By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) have agreed to strengthen collaboration on voter education as part of efforts to tackle voter apathy, vote-buying and misinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday while receiving the Director-General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, during a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan said technology and efficient election administration alone could not guarantee credible elections without an informed and engaged electorate, stressing that voter apathy, fake news and public cynicism remained major threats to Nigeria’s electoral process.
He described the partnership between INEC and the NOA on voter education as “an absolute necessity,” noting that both agencies must work together to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
“We are battling a silent, dangerous enemy in our electoral ecosystem: voter apathy and deep-seated cynicism. We also see a sophisticated, orchestrated wave of fake news and disinformation designed to make the ordinary Nigerian believe their vote will not count,” he said.
The INEC chairman called for a decentralized grassroots voter education campaign that would educate Nigerians not only on when to vote but also on why their votes matter and how technological innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal safeguard the integrity of elections.
According to him, the recent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and the Ekiti State off-cycle governorship election demonstrated significant improvements in election administration, including over 90 per cent early opening of polling units, successful biometric accreditation and prompt electronic transmission of results.
However, he noted that the elections also exposed persistent voter apathy and widespread confusion among voters over polling unit changes and voter registration transfers, especially among urban residents.
Amupitan said the experience underscored the need to commence voter education well ahead of the 2027 elections rather than waiting until the campaign period.
He proposed closer institutional collaboration between INEC’s Voter Education Department and the NOA’s communication teams, including joint campaigns against vote-buying and misinformation.
The INEC chairman also pledged the commission’s support through the provision of technical expertise, data and other resources to strengthen civic education across the country.
Earlier, NOA Director-General Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu assured INEC of the agency’s readiness to partner in delivering extensive voter education campaigns across Nigeria.
He said the NOA would leverage its offices in all 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and the country’s local government areas to sensitise Nigerians on the dangers of voter apathy, vote-buying and fake news, while promoting greater participation in the 2027 general elections.
