2027: How we will curb election violence — INEC

By Omeiza Ajayi

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has unveiled an intelligence-led security framework to curb violence ahead of the 2027 General Election, vowing to hunt down anyone who threatens its ad-hoc staff, National Youth Service Corps NYSC members or permanent personnel.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan SAN, disclosed this in Gombe on Tuesday while declaring open the North-East Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election.

The Commission in its daily bulletin said it was shifting from reactive, election-day deployments to a framework designed to protect voters, personnel and electoral materials before any ballot paper is moved.

INEC said its collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC, the Department of State Services DSS, the Armed Forces and other paramilitary agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security ICCES has, according to him, been fundamentally restructured.

The new framework, which the Commission terms the “ICCES Tentacle,” extends inter-agency security coordination from national and state headquarters directly down to the most remote Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres.

Amupitan told the gathering that no election, however well planned administratively, could be deemed credible if voters, election personnel and observers operate under physical threat or fear of violence.

He explained that the framework rests on three pillars, the first being “Map and Mitigate.” Under it, the Commission will use Electoral Risk Management (ERM) tools to identify security flashpoints, seasonal threat factors and local vulnerabilities early, so that security agencies can deploy proactive measures long before ballot papers arrive.

The second pillar, “Ensure Safety,” provides a protective umbrella over all electoral personnel, technological assets, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and server infrastructure, and, most importantly, the voter.

The third pillar, “Guarantee Access,” is aimed at ensuring that each of the 176,846 polling units nationwide remains a safe, peaceful and dignified space for the exercise of democratic rights, regardless of geographical remoteness or historical security challenges.

According to him, the collaboration among the agencies had already produced concrete results. He disclosed that joint operations led by the DSS recently uncovered a covert plot by criminal kingpins targeting the Commission’s ad-hoc staff and Youth Corps members.

Amupitan said swift, intelligence-led intervention neutralised the threat, and the principal orchestrators were arrested and are currently undergoing prosecution.

“Let me send a clear message from Gombe,” Amupitan said, warning that anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate or harm ad-hoc staff, NYSC members or permanent personnel of the Commission would be hunted down and brought to justice under the full weight of the law.

He disclosed that the Commission would shortly convene a National Election Security Conference in Abuja, where state-specific security protocols for high-risk zones would be finalised.

Amupitan acknowledged that the North-East presents distinct operational challenges, including vast desert terrains, riverine stretches along the Benue trough, remote agrarian communities and expansive landmasses. He noted, however, that the zone had demonstrated remarkable resilience and civic determination.

The zone has 13,965,475 registered voters, representing 13.51 per cent of the national register of over 103 million. Bauchi State has the highest number with 3,012,547 voters, followed by Borno with 2,765,165, Adamawa with 2,431,146, Taraba with 2,254,380, Gombe with 1,768,566 and Yobe with 1,733,671.

The Chairman said the 2027 General Election would be a simultaneous national undertaking across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Presidential and National Assembly Elections are scheduled for Saturday, 16th January 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will hold on Saturday, 6th February 2027.

Earlier, the host Resident Electoral Commissioner REC for Gombe State, Alhaji Umar Muktar Gajiram, speaking on behalf of all North-East RECs, assured the Chairman that the zone was fully prepared, loyal and committed to ensuring that not a single voter out of the 13.96 million in the zone is disenfranchised.

Gajiram said all directives on voter register display, logistics audit and technological testing would be executed to the letter.

Amupitan assured staff and stakeholders across the North-East that INEC was not working in isolation, describing security as “the bedrock of electoral integrity.”

“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger,” he said.

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