By Mercy Peter
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash O. Amupitan, has called for stronger collaboration between electoral authorities and security agencies, warning that the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 General Election will be a decisive test of the nation’s security architecture.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the 2nd Annual Lecture of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies (AANISS), Amupitan stressed that electoral integrity and national stability are deeply interconnected.
He described elections and security as “two sides of the same coin,” insisting that safeguarding the ballot is critical to preserving the sovereign will of the people.
The Chairman noted that the recently released Notice of Election—fixing Presidential and National Assembly polls for January 16, 2027—should not be viewed merely as an administrative step, but as a “security trigger” requiring immediate and coordinated action among stakeholders.
Amupitan identified a “sophisticated triad” of emerging threats confronting Nigeria’s electoral process, including artificial intelligence-driven disinformation, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), and the volatile nature of social media.
he reaffirmed INEC’s reliance on technological innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which he described as critical safeguards against manipulation and fraud.
He further emphasized that security considerations span the entire electoral process from pre-election planning to post-election outcomes describing security as both the “first mile and the last mile” of election logistics.
The INEC boss urged the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to shift from reactive responses to proactive intelligence gathering and coordination, particularly as the country prepares for the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections later this year.
He also raised concerns about declining voter participation, noting that turnout dropped to 26 percent in the 2023 general election. According to him, low participation creates a “narrative vacuum” that can be exploited by non-state actors to undermine government legitimacy.
“A vote cast is a brick laid in the wall of national security,” Amupitan said, urging citizens to actively engage in the democratic process.
Delivering a guest lecture, former Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, offered practical insights into election-day operations. He observed that while INEC provides the regulatory framework, much of the actual work is carried out by ad-hoc staff, making the role of security agencies crucial in maintaining order and preventing malpractice.
Igini argued that public perception accounts for nearly 70 percent of election credibility, emphasizing that results must be transparently determined at polling units rather than contested in courts.
He also weighed in on Nigeria’s evolving electoral laws, describing the 2022 Electoral Act as a landmark reform but expressing concern that provisions in the 2026 Electoral Act have diluted some of its gains.
In his remarks, AANISS President, Mike Ejiofor, underscored the importance of credible elections in sustaining national unity. He noted that while transparent processes enhance legitimacy, flawed elections risk triggering instability, discontent, and violence.
Ejiofor commended the high-level participation at the lecture, describing the association as a hub for strategic thinking and policy dialogue on national security issues.
