By Gabriel Ameh
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has warned that anyone who threatens, intimidates or attacks electoral personnel during the 2027 general elections will face the full consequences of the law.
Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, October 31, 2026, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He said the Commission would not tolerate attacks against its ad-hoc staff, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) or permanent employees, stressing that protecting electoral workers was essential to conducting credible elections.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger,” the INEC chairman declared.
The meeting formed part of the Commission’s zonal assessment exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Amupitan describing the initiative as part of INEC’s field-first approach to strengthening electoral preparedness.
According to him, the Commission was moving away from reactive election-day security arrangements towards an early-warning, intelligence-led framework known as the ICCES Tentacle.
The framework is designed to strengthen security coordination from national and state headquarters down to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres.
Amupitan identified threat mapping and mitigation, protection of electoral personnel and assets, and guaranteed access to polling units as the major priorities of the security arrangement.
He disclosed that approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands were involved in the South-South security arrangement under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The network brings together military, naval, air, police and other security and intelligence agencies to protect electoral personnel, voting equipment and citizens across the Niger Delta.
The INEC chairman said the South-South region has 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of Nigeria’s national voter register.
Rivers State alone accounts for 3,736,434 registered voters across its 23 Local Government Areas.
Providing an update on preparations, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones in the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The elections are expected to cover more than 103 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units nationwide.
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
To improve logistics, the Commission has finalised a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Transporters Union to facilitate the timely and secure movement of election personnel and materials to riverine and coastal communities.
He also disclosed that new operational pick-up vehicles had been distributed to state and local government offices nationwide.
On personnel welfare, the INEC chairman said the Commission had introduced a separate salary structure for its workforce, known as the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure, effective January 1, 2026.
He added that monthly state overhead allocations had also been increased by 150 per cent, effective July 1, 2026.
Amupitan warned electoral officials against partisanship, negligence, financial misconduct and absenteeism, insisting that such violations would attract decisive sanctions.
He also reminded staff of the Oath of Neutrality provided under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, urging them to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines.
He further cautioned that poor administrative performance, including late opening of polling units and unresolved technological problems, could create opportunities for misinformation and undermine public confidence in elections.
INEC SEEKS TRADITIONAL RULERS’ SUPPORT
In a related development, Amupitan has appealed to traditional rulers to support the Commission’s efforts to mobilise citizens for Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection and participation in the 2027 elections.
He made the appeal on Friday, October 30, during a courtesy visit to the palace of the King and Paramount Ruler of Port Harcourt, His Royal Majesty, Barr. Uchechukwu Isaiah Elikwu, Eze Epara Rebisi XII, in Rivers State.
The visit was part of INEC’s South-South readiness assessment tour aimed at evaluating electoral preparations and strengthening cooperation with traditional institutions.
Amupitan assured the monarch that the Commission was taking steps to address delays in the distribution of election materials experienced during previous elections.
He said the era of election materials arriving late at polling units must end, stressing that INEC was working towards ensuring timely delivery across the country.
The chairman also disclosed that the Commission had reduced the voter threshold for deploying additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines from 1,250 to 850 voters per polling unit.
According to him, the adjustment is part of efforts to improve accreditation processes and strengthen the deployment of electoral technology.
Amupitan emphasised that traditional rulers remained important partners in promoting grassroots peace, civic participation and community stability.
He urged the Port Harcourt monarch to encourage residents to collect their PVCs, participate in the elections and support peaceful democratic processes.
The INEC chairman also warned against the growing dangers of misinformation and disinformation, particularly through social media platforms and artificial intelligence.
He called on traditional rulers to educate their communities on the importance of verifying information before sharing it.
In his response, Eze Epara Rebisi XII assured INEC of the traditional institution’s support, pledging to mobilise residents to collect their PVCs and participate in the 2027 elections.
He, however, urged the Commission to remain fair, impartial and committed to doing what is right.
Earlier, the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, said the zonal engagement was designed to identify operational gaps, assess preparedness and develop practical solutions ahead of the elections.
He stressed that credible elections depended not only on activities on Election Day but also on the quality of preparations undertaken well in advance.
The Commission also identified staff training, voter education, stakeholder engagement, electoral risk management, ICT deployment and logistics as key areas requiring continuous attention.
INEC said the ongoing assessments were part of its broader efforts to strengthen institutional preparedness and deliver free, fair, credible, inclusive and transparent elections in 2027.
