The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has charged security agencies to significantly scale up planning, intelligence gathering, deployment, and inter-agency coordination as Nigeria enters a demanding electoral cycle ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Prof. Amupitan gave the charge on Friday, 6 February 2026, at the first regular meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for the year, held at INEC’s Conference Room in Abuja.
Describing 2026 as a “very busy electoral year,” the INEC Chairman said the Commission would conduct Area Council elections, bye-elections and off-cycle governorship polls, all requiring heightened security readiness. He stressed that credible elections depend on the safety of voters, election personnel and materials.
Reflecting on the Anambra State Governorship Election of 8 November 2025, Prof. Amupitan commended security agencies for professionalism and effective coordination, noting that despite the state’s history of election-related challenges, the poll was conducted peacefully. He said proactive intelligence, strategic deployment and firm responses to threats enabled INEC to declare a winner on the first ballot—an outcome he described as a departure from past experiences in Anambra State.
Attention, he said, has shifted to the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, 21 February 2026. According to him, the polls will involve 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units in the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory.
As campaigns close on Thursday, 19 February, the INEC Chairman urged security agencies to strictly enforce the law, prevent the deployment of political thugs, curb vote buying, and ensure the safety of voters and election officials on Election Day.
He disclosed that INEC had concluded major preparatory activities, including the batching and delivery of non-sensitive materials to Area Councils and the training of Electoral Officers and Election Security Personnel. Training of ad-hoc staff, he added, began on Friday, 6 February and will end on 15 February, while BVAS devices are being configured and sensitive materials will be delivered under secure conditions. A mock accreditation exercise is scheduled for Saturday, 7 February, in 289 selected polling units across the six Area Councils.
However, Prof. Amupitan cautioned that administrative preparedness alone cannot substitute for effective security coordination, particularly in identified flashpoints.
On elections holding the same day as the FCT polls, he said bye-elections would take place in Ahoada East II and Khana II State Constituencies of Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo State Constituencies of Kano State, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance.
Looking ahead, he announced that the Ekiti State Governorship Election would hold on 20 June 2026, while Osun State would go to the polls on 8 August 2026, noting that early security planning is critical to ensuring peaceful outcomes in Ekiti State and Osun State.
As part of preparations for the 2027 General Election, the INEC Chairman also revealed plans for a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to further sanitise the national register, alongside the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration—both of which will require robust security support.
Speaking on behalf of the National Security Adviser and ICCES Co-Chair, the Director of Internal Security at the Office of the NSA, Mr. Hassan Abdullahi, praised INEC and security agencies for the successful Anambra poll, describing it as a benchmark for future elections.
He said the Nigeria Police Force, as the lead agency for election security, is already mobilising resources to ensure peaceful conduct of the FCT Area Council elections, the Rivers and Kano bye-elections, and upcoming off-cycle governorship polls.
In his remarks, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, represented by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Elections, CP Abayomi Shogunle, reaffirmed the Police Force’s commitment to massive nationwide deployment and sustained protection of INEC personnel, facilities and materials.
The meeting ended with a renewed pledge by INEC and security agencies to sustained collaboration, vigilance and professionalism in safeguarding Nigeria’s electoral process throughout the demanding 2026 electoral calendar.
