By Jude Opara
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has warned that anyone who threatens, intimidates or attacks electoral officials ahead of the 2027 general elections will face prosecution.
Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, October 31, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He said the Commission would not tolerate attacks on its ad-hoc staff, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members or permanent employees, stressing that their safety was critical to conducting credible elections.
The INEC chairman maintained that security challenges would not deter the Commission from discharging its constitutional responsibilities, warning that anyone who harms electoral workers would face the full consequences of the law.
He disclosed that the South-South assessment was the fifth zonal exercise conducted by the Commission, following similar engagements in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East.
Amupitan said INEC had adopted a field-focused approach to electoral preparations, emphasizing the need for effective coordination across the 123 Local Government Areas in the six South-South states.
On election security, he announced a shift from election-day security arrangements to an early-warning and intelligence-driven framework known as the ICCES Tentacle.
According to him, the initiative would strengthen collaboration among security agencies at national, state and local government levels to identify threats, protect electoral personnel and guarantee voters’ safe access to polling units.
He disclosed that about 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands were involved in the arrangement under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
Providing an update on preparations, Amupitan said the South-South had 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of Nigeria’s national voter register. Rivers State accounts for 3,736,434 voters across 23 local government areas.
He added that INEC had completed nine of the 14 major statutory activities outlined in its timetable for the 2027 elections, which will 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 governorship and State Assembly elections will hold on February 6.
The chairman further disclosed that the Commission had reached an agreement with the Maritime Transporters Union to facilitate the movement of election personnel and materials to riverine and coastal communities.
He also announced improvements in staff welfare, including the introduction of the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure from January 1, 2026, and a 150 per cent increase in monthly overhead allocations to state offices, effective July 1.
Amupitan urged electoral officers to maintain professionalism, neutrality and discipline, warning that negligence, absenteeism, financial misconduct and partisan conduct would attract sanctions.
He also reminded staff of Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides for an Oath of Neutrality, insisting that the Commission would not compromise its standards in the conduct of the 2027 elections.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
