By Kazeem Waris
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled an intelligence-led security framework to curb violence ahead of the 2027 general election, warning that anyone who threatens its ad-hoc staff, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members or permanent personnel will be hunted down and prosecuted.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Tuesday in Gombe while declaring open the North-East Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 general election.
The Commission said it was shifting from reactive, election-day security deployments to proactive intelligence gathering and threat prevention, with a focus on protecting voters, electoral personnel and materials.
Amupitan said collaboration among security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) had been strengthened through a framework dubbed the “ICCES Tentacle,” extending coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and registration area centres.
He said the framework rests on three pillars: “Map and Mitigate,” to identify flashpoints and emerging threats; “Ensure Safety,” to protect electoral personnel, technology and voters; and “Guarantee Access,” to ensure all 176,846 polling units remain safe for voters.
The INEC chairman disclosed that joint operations involving the Department of State Services (DSS) had uncovered a plot by criminal kingpins to target ad-hoc staff and corps members, adding that the principal suspects had been arrested and were 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 announced that INEC would soon convene a National Election Security Conference in Abuja to finalise security protocols for high-risk areas ahead of the polls.
Describing security as “the bedrock of electoral integrity,” Amupitan acknowledged the operational challenges posed by the North-East’s vast landmass, remote communities and difficult terrain, but said the zone had demonstrated resilience and civic commitment.
The region has 13,965,475 registered voters, representing 13.51 per cent of Nigeria’s voter register of more than 103 million.
The chairman said the 2027 general election would hold nationwide, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections would take place on February 6, 2027.
Earlier, Gombe State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Umar Muktar Gajiram, speaking on behalf of other North-East RECs, assured the chairman of the zone’s readiness to ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger,” Amupitan said.
