The Department of State Services has arrested suspects allegedly involved in a plot to target ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, particularly National Youth Service Corps members, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in Enugu during the commission’s South-East Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 elections.
Amupitan said the DSS had uncovered those allegedly behind the plot and that they would soon be prosecuted.
According to the commission’s Daily Bulletin, INEC had identified potential threats to the safety of its ad hoc personnel and taken measures to address them.
The development comes as the electoral body intensifies preparations to protect election personnel and strengthen security ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan also announced plans to convene a security conference to address emerging threats to election security.
He said INEC was strengthening its partnership with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security and working with security agencies at the national and state levels to improve preparedness.
The INEC chairman added that the commission was deploying its Election Risk Management tools to establish what he described as a robust, intelligence-driven security architecture.
Amupitan identified public distrust, voter apathy and the spread of misinformation and disinformation as major challenges facing the commission.
He warned that fake news, unverified rumours and deepfake videos could spread rapidly across digital platforms and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
The chairman said INEC would respond through transparency, prompt official communication and strict operational standards at polling units.
He also warned electoral officials against partisan conduct, administrative negligence, extortion and other ethical violations, stressing that such practices would not be tolerated under his leadership.
Amupitan reminded staff that Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 requires electoral personnel, including electoral officers, presiding officers, returning officers and participating security officials, to swear an oath of loyalty and neutrality.
He urged INEC officials to ensure that their decisions were guided by the law rather than political interests as preparations for the 2027 general elections gathered pace.
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