The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that sensitive materials for the 2027 general elections, including ballot papers and result sheets, will be produced locally.

The commission said the decision followed an assessment of local printing companies and their capacity to handle the production of sensitive electoral materials under strict security conditions.

INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Harun, disclosed this while speaking on the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

Harun explained that the commission had inspected several local printers and was satisfied with their capacity and security arrangements.

He said the sensitive materials would not be printed too far ahead of the election because of the risks associated with their handling.

“Everything is going to be printed locally. Sensitive materials, for us, are ballot papers and the result sheets, and we don’t print those ones early because they are sensitive,” Harun said.

According to him, the materials will be produced relatively close to the election and transferred to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for safekeeping before distribution.

“So, it’s fairly close to the election that we print and deliver them to CBN, and from there, they are normally collected and distributed in the presence of everybody, including civil society organisations, media, party agents,” he added.

The commissioner said INEC had already commenced the procurement and production of non-sensitive materials required for the elections.

He listed ballot boxes and other electoral equipment among the items already being prepared, while the commission had also placed orders for additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.

Harun added that banners were also being produced to address expected shortages during the elections.

“Ballot papers are already set to be printed by local printers. We have local printers that are up to the capacity,” he stated.

INEC Raises Concern Over Short Election Preparation Period

Despite the progress being made, Harun identified time as one of the major challenges confronting the commission ahead of the 2027 polls.

“The problem is time,” the national commissioner said.

He explained that the period available to INEC to prepare for the elections had been reduced following amendments to the electoral law.

According to him, the commission previously had about one year to prepare, but the new timeline has reduced the preparation period to six months.

“Last time, we got the money for the election in sufficient time, so we had sufficient time to plan. It is a little bit tighter this time around. You know very well the electoral law cut it down by six months. Instead of one year, now it’s six months,” Harun explained.

He disclosed that INEC had already received part of the funds required for the 2027 elections and was working towards selecting printers for the various contracts.

Harun, however, dismissed concerns over the ability of local printing companies to securely produce sensitive electoral materials.

He pointed to the previous general election as evidence that local printers could handle the responsibility without compromising the integrity of the process.