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Nigeria’s electoral commission has warned that no election can be considered credible if voters feel unsafe participating, as preparations intensify for a packed election calendar leading up to the 2027 general elections. Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, delivered the warning in Abuja during the first regular meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for 2026.
The meeting brought together senior officials from security, intelligence, and law-enforcement agencies tasked with safeguarding Nigeria’s electoral process.
Amupitan said public confidence in elections depends not only on administrative preparedness but also on the ability of security agencies to protect voters, election workers, and materials throughout the electoral cycle.
Addressing the gathering, Amupitan stressed that elections lose legitimacy when citizens are afraid to vote, regardless of how well the process is planned on paper. “Elections cannot be credible if citizens feel unsafe to participate,” he said, emphasizing that security is central to electoral integrity.
He noted that Nigeria is entering an especially demanding period, with multiple elections scheduled in the lead-up to the 2027 general polls. These include Area Council elections, bye-elections, and off-cycle governorship contests, all of which require coordinated security planning.
According to the INEC chairman, early engagement with security agencies is critical to managing the scale and complexity of upcoming elections.
Amupitan described 2026 as a “very busy electoral year,” saying the volume of elections would test Nigeria’s institutional readiness and inter-agency cooperation. “As we approach the 2027 general election, public interest and expectations continue to rise,” he said. “While the commission has finalized its timetable in line with the law, the scale and complexity of the elections demand early and sustained security engagement.”
He called for enhanced intelligence gathering, proactive deployment strategies, and seamless coordination among agencies to prevent disruptions, particularly in areas historically prone to election-related violence.
The INEC chairman praised security agencies for their role in the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election held on November 8, 2025, describing it as a positive benchmark.
The election took place barely two weeks after Amupitan assumed office, and he said it demonstrated how professionalism by security personnel can stabilize even volatile environments.
Despite Anambra’s history of election-related security challenges, he said the calm atmosphere on election day allowed INEC to declare a winner on the first ballot without major incidents. “That outcome showed what is possible when security agencies act with discipline, neutrality, and coordination,” he said.
Read Also: INEC Chairman Vows To Deliver Credible 2027 Elections
Attention is now shifting to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, scheduled for February 21. Amupitan disclosed that the poll will involve 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units in the six area councils of the FCT.
He said INEC has completed the batching and delivery of non-sensitive materials and concluded the training of electoral officers and election security personnel. Training for ad-hoc staff began on February 6 and is expected to end on February 15.
To test systems ahead of the vote, INEC will conduct a mock accreditation exercise on Saturday, February 7, in 289 selected polling units across the FCT. Details of the exercise, he said, would be published on the commission’s website.
Despite outlining these preparations, Amupitan cautioned that logistics alone cannot guarantee credible elections. “Administrative preparedness, no matter how thorough, cannot deliver credible elections without effective security coordination,” he said.
He urged security agencies to remain professional and alert, especially in identified flashpoints, warning against complacency as election day approaches.
The chairman emphasized that even isolated incidents of violence or intimidation could undermine public trust and voter turnout.
Amupitan also announced that bye-elections would be conducted on the same day as the FCT Area Council elections in multiple states.
The affected constituencies include Ahoada East II and Khana II state constituencies in Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo state constituencies in Kano State.
Holding the elections concurrently, he said, would require additional coordination to ensure adequate deployment of security personnel across different regions.
Looking further ahead, the INEC chairman revealed plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise, to be conducted alongside the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process.
Read Also: INEC Registers 4,423 New Voters In Anambra Against 2027
The exercise is aimed at cleaning and updating the voter register ahead of the 2027 general election and will require robust security arrangements to protect registration centers, personnel, and voters—particularly in volatile areas.
He said securing the voter registration process is just as important as protecting election day activities, noting that disruptions at this stage could disenfranchise eligible voters.
Speaking on behalf of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and ICCES Co-Chair, Hassan Abdullahi, Director of Internal Security at the Office of the NSA, congratulated INEC and security agencies on the successful conduct of the Anambra governorship election.
He described the election as a “positive benchmark” and said lessons learned would be applied to upcoming polls.
Abdullahi noted that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), as the lead agency for election security, had already begun mobilizing resources to ensure peaceful elections in the FCT, Rivers State, Kano State, and other areas with scheduled off-cycle elections.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, represented by CP Abayomi Shogunle, Commissioner of Police in charge of Elections, reaffirmed the force’s commitment to nationwide election security.
Shogunle said the police would continue to provide protection for INEC personnel, facilities, and materials before, during, and after elections.
He assured stakeholders that the NPF would deploy adequate personnel and work closely with other agencies to maintain law and order throughout the electoral period.
With Nigeria entering a critical electoral phase, both INEC and security agencies say sustained collaboration will be essential to maintaining public trust.
