The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun making efforts to strengthen its institutional memory through improved archiving, cataloguing and documentation of its activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Commission began a two-day capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Tuesday. The workshop, organised by INEC’s Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) Department, is themed, “Preserving Institutional Memory Through Effective Archiving and Documentation.”
Declaring the workshop open, Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, represented by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, described proper archiving as a critical but often overlooked function of the Commission.
Haruna said preserving records was necessary for reference, learning from previous elections and improving the Commission’s operations.
“It is a key leg in the department that we have our archiving done properly, for posterity, for reference, for lesson learning,” he said.
He expressed concern that materials from previous election cycles were often not adequately preserved in some states, making it difficult for the Commission to conduct comparative assessments and draw lessons from past experiences.
Haruna said the newly established Graphics, Library and Documentation (GLD) Division was created to address the gap and directed the participating Public Affairs Officers to take responsibility for documentation in their respective states.
He said the officers would also serve as GLD Desk Officers in their states, adding that the training would prepare them to implement the Commission’s new documentation standards.
Also speaking, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, stressed the importance of preserving the Commission’s records as it prepares for the 2027 general elections.
Oketola urged the participants to apply the knowledge acquired during the training in their respective states and support the Commission’s efforts to preserve its institutional records.
The Deputy Director of Graphics, Library and Documentation, Perpetual Aligwara, said the initiative was aimed at returning the Commission’s records management system to standard practice.
Aligwara said some state offices could not readily produce documented records of previous Commission activities, warning that poor documentation could affect the ability of information officers to properly defend the Commission’s decisions and institutional history.
She said, “The Commission’s credibility rests as much on its memory as on its neutrality. You cannot defend a decision you can no longer explain.”
According to her, inadequate documentation could also contribute to inconsistent application of guidelines across state and local offices, while exposing the Commission to litigation and public trust challenges.
Quoting writer Adjori Augustine, Aligwara said, “What you don’t put down doesn’t exist,” stressing that proper documentation provides evidence needed to establish and defend the Commission’s decisions and activities.
She disclosed that INEC would establish a central and secure archive containing election guidelines, results documentation, litigation records, post-election reviews and pictorial materials from the Commission’s activities nationwide.
Aligwara said the initiative was particularly important ahead of the 2027 general elections, when access to accurate institutional records would be critical for continuity and reference.
The participants are expected to undergo practical sessions on digital documentation on Wednesday, with further monitoring planned to assess the implementation of the new archiving standards across the states.
