As Nigeria edges towards the polls next year, Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has said the scale of insecurity in several parts of the country is drowning out public confidence, presenting a potent threat to the conduct of free and fair elections.
However, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, assured the commission of Nigeria Police’s readiness to provide a secure environment for the elections, warning that there would be no preferential treatment for anyone or party.
Amupitan spoke during a courtesy visit to Disu, where he formally sought the support and collaboration of the Nigeria Police ahead of the 2027 general election.
The INEC chairman said a thorough security risk analysis was essential before the elections.
Amupitan, in a statement by the commission’s Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, identified issues such as electoral malpractices, vote trading, and threats of violence as factors that could undermine public confidence and pose risks to national security.
He stressed the need for proactive security measures, including comprehensive risk assessments to identify potential flashpoints and deploy appropriate mitigation strategies.
“The scale of insecurity across various parts of the country presents a threat to the conduct of free and fair elections. It is essential that we carry out thorough security risk analyses ahead of the elections,” Amupitan stated.
He informed the police leadership that the commission had commenced preparations for the 2027 elections, scheduled for January 16, 2027, for presidential and National Assembly polls, and February 6, 2027, for governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
The chairman stated that the release of the election timetable and the ongoing political party activities, including ward congresses and conventions, signalled the full activation of the electoral process, which he described as a “security trigger”.
According to him, political parties are expected to conduct their primaries in line with Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, which permits only direct primaries and consensus for candidate nominations.
The INEC chairman also drew attention to upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as a series of by-elections across the country, describing them as critical milestones in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
“These elections are crucial milestones in Nigeria’s democratic journey, and it is imperative that they are conducted peacefully and seamlessly,” he said.
Acknowledging the police as the lead agency in election security, the INEC chairman pledged the commission’s cooperation, emphasising the importance of intelligence sharing, strategic planning, and community engagement.
He highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), describing it as the “heartbeat” of operational safety during elections.
Amupitan said, “Our success depends on ICCES moving from reactive policing to proactive intelligence coordination,” adding that all stakeholders must ensure a unified, multi-agency approach to protecting electoral personnel, materials, and voters.
Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to working closely with the police and other security agencies to deliver peaceful, credible, and transparent elections that reflected the will of the Nigerian people.
Responding, Disu assured the commission of the police’s preparedness to provide a secure environment for the conduct of the 2027 general election.
He said the Nigeria Police would discharge its responsibilities with professionalism, impartiality, and strict adherence to the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act, and other extant laws.
The IGP stated that the force had already begun strategic threat assessments and intelligence mapping nationwide to identify flashpoints and emerging security risks ahead of the elections.
He stated, “Issues such as political violence, the proliferation of illegal arms, voter intimidation, cyber manipulation, misinformation, and attacks on electoral infrastructure had been identified as priority concerns requiring proactive attention.”
He added that intelligence-led deployments and preventive policing strategies would be adopted to neutralise threats before they escalate.
Disu also assured the commission of adequate security for electoral officials, sensitive materials, collation centres, and other critical electoral infrastructure throughout the electoral process.
He stressed that no political party, candidate, or interest group would enjoy preferential treatment from the police.
Disu warned that officers found engaging in partisan conduct or unethical practices would face disciplinary and legal consequences.
“We will ensure that we enforce electoral laws firmly and we will do it professionally,” the IGP said.
The police boss called for early release and wide dissemination of the election timetable to support effective planning, logistics coordination, personnel training, and inter-agency collaboration.
He advocated stronger cooperation among security agencies through joint training, intelligence sharing, and harmonised communication strategies, while also revealing plans to engage political parties through peace accords and stakeholder seminars aimed at promoting peaceful conduct before, during and after the elections.
He added that officers selected for election duties would undergo intensive training on electoral security management, human rights compliance, rules of engagement, crowd control, and ethical conduct.
Senate Approves Bill Restricting Pre-Election Cases to Federal High Court, Appeal Court
Senate approved for Second Reading a bill seeking to stop the filing of multiple pre-election cases in different courts by restricting such matters to the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The proposed amendment to the Electoral Act, 2026, sponsored by Senator Simon Lalong, provided that all pre-election disputes relating to National Assembly, governorship, and House of Assembly elections would begin at the Federal High Court.
It also proposed that disputes involving presidential and vice presidentialelections should start directly at the Court of Appeal.
Leading debate on the bill during plenary, Thursday, Lalong said the amendment was aimed at ending confusion over which courts should handle pre-election matters and preventing conflicting judgements.
Under the proposed arrangement, appeals arising from non-presidential pre-election disputes would end at the Court of Appeal, while appeals involving presidential contests would terminate at the Supreme Court.
The lawmaker said the bill sought amendments to Section 29 of the Electoral Act and introduced a new Section 29A to clearly define which courts had the power to hear pre-election disputes.
According to him, lack of clarity in the current law has led to conflicting court decisions, delays in resolving cases, and abuse of judicial process by politicians searching for favourable judgements.
“Democracy thrives not merely on the conduct of elections, but also on the credibility, certainty and predictability of the legal processes that precede those elections,” Lalong said.
He explained that presidential elections were national in nature and should be handled quickly by a higher court with nationwide authority.
Lalong added that allowing the Court of Appeal to hear presidential pre-election disputes first would ensure speedy handling of sensitive cases, while giving the Federal High Court jurisdiction over other matters would improve consistency in electoral cases.
He said the amendment would also stop courts from hearing pre-election matters outside the proposed legal framework.
According to him, the bill would allow aspirants to file pre-election cases either in the Federal Capital Territory or in the state where the issue occurred.
The senator warned that delay in resolving electoral disputes could create constitutional crises capable of threatening democratic stability.
He said the bill would improve public confidence in the electoral process by reducing conflicting judgements and discouraging politicians from filing the same cases in different courts.
“This bill is therefore timely, necessary, and in the national interest,” Lalong said, urging lawmakers to support it.
After the debate on the general principles of the bill, the senate approved it for Second Reading and referred it for further legislative work.
Adedayo Akinwale and Sunday Aborisade
