The chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said Friday that elections cannot be considered credible if voters do not feel safe to participate.
Amupitan spoke in Abuja at the first regular 2026 meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, attended by heads and representatives of security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies. He underscored the role of security agencies in protecting the integrity of the electoral process.
He described 2026 as a busy election year, with Area Council polls, bye-elections and off-cycle governorship elections scheduled ahead of the 2027 general election. The scale of activities, he said, requires heightened security planning, intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination.
“As we approach the 2027 general election, public interest and expectations continue to rise,” Amupitan said. “Elections cannot be credible if citizens feel unsafe to participate.”
He commended security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election on Nov. 8, 2025, held shortly after he assumed office. Despite the state’s history of election-related security challenges, he said, the professionalism of security personnel ensured a calm environment that allowed a winner to be declared on the first ballot.
On the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections scheduled for Feb. 21, Amupitan said 1,680,315 registered voters are expected across 2,822 polling units in the six area councils.
He said INEC has completed the batching and delivery of non-sensitive materials and the training of electoral officers and security personnel. Training of ad-hoc staff began Feb. 6 and will end Feb. 15. A mock accreditation exercise is planned for Feb. 7 in 289 selected polling units, with details to be published on INEC’s website.
Amupitan cautioned that administrative preparedness alone would not guarantee credible elections without effective security coordination, urging agencies to maintain professionalism, particularly in identified flashpoints.
He said bye-elections would also be held Feb. 21 in Ahoada East II and Khana II state constituencies in Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo state constituencies in Kano State.
The INEC chairman added that the commission would soon begin a nationwide voter revalidation exercise alongside ongoing Continuous Voter Registration ahead of the 2027 general election, a process that would require security for facilities, personnel and voters, especially in volatile areas.
Speaking on behalf of the National Security Adviser and ICCES co-chair, the Director of Internal Security at the Office of the NSA, Hassan Abdullahi, congratulated INEC and security agencies on the Anambra election, calling it a benchmark for future polls.
He said the Nigeria Police Force, the lead agency for election security, is mobilizing resources to ensure peaceful conduct of the FCT Area Council elections, the Rivers and Kano bye-elections, and upcoming off-cycle governorship elections.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, represented by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Elections, Abayomi Shogunle, reaffirmed the force’s commitment to nationwide deployments and pledged continued protection for INEC personnel, facilities and materials throughout the electoral process.
