Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), have commenced a two-day Anti-Corruption Education and Sensitisation Workshop for members of INEC staff ahead of the 2027 elections.
Declaring open the workshop, themed, “Corruption-Free Election: Integrity Matters (C-FEIM),” on Monday, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, represented by National Commissioner, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, said the training was timely, coming ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Agbamuche-Mbu, in a statement by INEC Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, said the Commission, as an electoral umpire, bore the responsibility to lead conversations that shape national values, noting that elections remained the foundation of democracy.
She said, “When elections are compromised, public trust is eroded and the nation suffers as a result.”
Agbamuche-Mbu commended the ICPC for facilitating the workshop, describing it as designed to build capacity, share best practices, and produce actionable recommendations to guide staff during elections.
She disclosed that ICPC was providing resource persons for the two-day training, and thanked participants for prioritising the exercise over other engagements, urging them to contribute freely, ask critical questions, and network during the sessions.
In his remarks, the Chairman of ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu, SAN, represented by the Director of Legal Services, ICPC, Mr. Henry Emore, said corruption remained one of the biggest factors hindering development in the 21st century.
Emore said the theme of the workshop reflected ICPC’s commitment to supporting government programmes aimed at ensuring free, fair, and equitable elections.
He noted that when the electoral process was devoid of integrity and marred by malpractice, government spent more to conduct supplementary elections and to maintain law and order, while agencies such as ICPC were stretched by a surge of petitions and litigation.
