2027 Election: INEC Reveals Where Ballot Papers, Result Sheets Will Be Printed

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

The electoral commission made this known after releasing the names and details of governorship candidates and their running mates contesting the upcoming election.

Speaking with Punch, INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Harun, said the commission had inspected local printing firms and was satisfied with their capacity and security measures to handle the production of sensitive electoral materials.

Harun explained that ballot papers and result sheets would not be printed too early because of their sensitive nature. Instead, they would be produced shortly before the elections and transferred to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for secure storage and subsequent distribution.

He said, “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.

“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.”

The national commissioner noted that INEC had already commenced the procurement and production of non-sensitive electoral materials, including ballot boxes, as part of its preparations for the 2027 polls.

He added that orders had also been placed for other essential election equipment, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, while banners were being produced to address expected shortages.

Harun reiterated that local printing companies had been selected to produce the ballot papers and assured that they possessed the required capacity.

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

However, Harun identified the reduced electoral timetable as one of the major challenges confronting INEC ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The problem is time,” he said.

According to him, preparations for the 2027 polls are being carried out within a tighter timeframe following amendments to the electoral law, which reduced the period available for election preparations.

Harun explained that while INEC had previously received election funding early enough to allow adequate planning, the commission now has less time to prepare due to the reduction in the electoral timetable.

He said, “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.”

The commissioner disclosed that INEC had already received part of the funds needed to conduct the elections and was in the process of selecting printers for various contracts.

He also dismissed concerns over the ability of local printers to securely produce sensitive election materials, insisting that the firms being considered by the commission had sufficient security arrangements in place.

Harun pointed to the previous general election as evidence that local printers could successfully handle the responsibility without compromising electoral materials.

He said, “The last general election was a precedent. Did you hear any complaints? We didn’t have any issue with the printers.”