The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced a training programme for state coordinating supervisors of its Electoral Operations Support Centre (EOSC) as part of preparations for the 2027 General Election.
The training, organised by the Commission’s Electoral Operations Department, is aimed at improving the speed and accuracy of electoral incident reporting while strengthening the capacity of supervisors to coordinate EOSC activities across the states.
INEC disclosed this in a post on its official X handle on Wednesday.
Speaking at the programme, Deputy Director of Operations, Jibril Mohammed, who represented the Director of Electoral Operations, Isa Magaji, said the initiative was designed to build teams capable of providing timely and reliable operational support during the elections.
Mohammed described the EOSC as an important platform for monitoring developments in the field and ensuring that emerging challenges are quickly brought to the attention of relevant authorities.
“Every report represents a situation affecting people,” he said, stressing that every call or dashboard entry could relate to electoral personnel, materials, processes or voters requiring guidance and intervention.
He urged the supervisors to provide clear direction to their teams and exercise sound judgement when handling reported incidents.
Mohammed also tasked participants with ensuring that the knowledge acquired during the programme was effectively passed on to personnel at the state level.
He encouraged participants to actively participate in the sessions, ask questions and share their experiences, noting that resolving uncertainties during the training would help minimise operational difficulties during the elections.
According to him, participants are expected to develop a stronger understanding of EOSC responsibilities, reporting procedures, information verification, incident escalation and follow-up processes.
Mohammed emphasised that electoral incident reports must be both accurate and timely, noting that a good report should clearly state what happened, where and when it occurred, the action already taken and the current status of the incident.
He further urged supervisors to approach their responsibilities with patience and respect, particularly when dealing with field officers working under pressure.
“The quality of communication and the manner in which information is received could affect both the quality of information available to the Commission and the support provided to personnel in the field,” he said.
Mohammed called on facilitators to make the training practical and interactive by exposing participants to real-life situations they could encounter during the 2027 General Election.
He commended the facilitators, organisers, sponsors and partners for supporting the programme and urged participants to make effective use of the knowledge and resources provided.
The training forms part of INEC’s broader preparations for the 2027 elections, with the Commission seeking to strengthen its operational response and improve its ability to manage emerging challenges during the electoral process.
