By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over emerging threats to Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that credible polls depend on a secure environment.
INEC Chairman, Joash O. Amupitan, made this known at the 2nd Annual Lecture of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies.
He said: “Elections and security must no longer be treated as separate concerns but as two sides of the same coin of national stability.”
Amupitan warned that the country is entering a critical phase following the release of the 2027 election timetable, noting that the process now represents both a political and security concern.
He said: “Without a secure environment, the sovereign will of the people is not just threatened; it is silenced.”
The INEC chairman identified key threats to the electoral process, including social media volatility, artificial intelligence-driven disinformation, and foreign information manipulation, alongside existing security challenges such as insurgency and communal conflicts.
He also raised concerns over declining voter turnout, which he said dropped from 53 per cent in 2011 to 26 per cent in 2023.
He said the trend poses a risk to national stability and could be exploited by disruptive elements.
Amupitan highlighted the use of technology, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, as measures to enhance transparency and reduce electoral fraud.
He called for stronger collaboration among security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
In his remarks, AANISS President, Mike Ejiofor, described the theme of the lecture as timely.
He said: “Credible elections and national security remain critical to Nigeria’s democratic stability.”
Ejiofor noted the absence of some key security officials at the event due to press
ing national assignments.
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