The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has introduced an intelligence-led security framework to prevent violence ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that anyone who threatens its ad-hoc staff, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members or permanent personnel will be tracked down and prosecuted.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), announced the initiative on Tuesday in Gombe while opening the North-East Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 general elections.
According to the Commission’s daily bulletin, the new approach will replace reactive, election-day security deployments with proactive measures aimed at protecting voters, electoral personnel and materials before the distribution of ballot papers.
Amupitan said INEC had restructured its collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS), Armed Forces and other paramilitary agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The new arrangement, known as the “ICCES Tentacle,” is designed to extend security coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres, including those in remote communities.
The INEC chairman stressed that an election could not be considered credible if voters, electoral workers and observers faced threats or feared violence.
He explained that the framework was built around three key pillars, beginning with “Map and Mitigate.” This involves using Electoral Risk Management (ERM) tools to identify potential security flashpoints, seasonal threats and local vulnerabilities early enough for security agencies to respond before election materials arrive.
The second pillar, “Ensure Safety,” focuses on protecting electoral personnel, technological infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and servers, as well as voters.
The third pillar, “Guarantee Access,” seeks to ensure that all 176,846 polling units across the country remain safe and accessible for citizens to exercise their democratic rights, irrespective of their locations or existing security challenges.
Amupitan said cooperation among the security agencies had already yielded results, disclosing that joint operations involving the DSS recently uncovered an alleged plot by criminal kingpins to target INEC’s ad-hoc staff and NYSC members.
He added that a swift, intelligence-driven operation had neutralised the threat, leading to the arrest of the principal suspects, who are currently facing 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.
The INEC chairman also announced plans to convene a National Election Security Conference in Abuja, where security procedures tailored to high-risk areas across the country would be finalised.
Acknowledging the North-East’s operational challenges, Amupitan cited its vast desert terrain, riverine communities along the Benue trough, remote farming settlements and extensive landmass. However, he commended the region’s resilience and commitment to democratic participation.
The North-East has 13,965,475 registered voters, accounting for 13.51 per cent of Nigeria’s more than 103 million registered voters.
Bauchi State leads the region with 3,012,547 registered 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.
Amupitan noted that the 2027 general elections would take place simultaneously across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are slated for Saturday, February 6, 2027.
Earlier, Gombe State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Umar Muktar Gajiram, who spoke on behalf of other North-East RECs, assured the chairman of the region’s preparedness and commitment to ensuring that none of its 13.96 million registered voters is disenfranchised.
Gajiram also pledged that directives on voter register display, logistics audits and technological testing would be implemented as required.
Amupitan reassured INEC staff and stakeholders across the region that the Commission was working with relevant security agencies, describing security as “the bedrock of electoral integrity.”
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger,” he said.
