FCT Polls: INEC sounds security alert ahead of crucial elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on security agencies to intensify planning, deployment, intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections and by-elections in Rivers and Kano States slated for February 21.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the call on Friday in Abuja while addressing members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) at the commission’s headquarters.

Amupitan stressed that early planning and effective intelligence gathering were critical to ensuring that all electoral activities were conducted in a safe, peaceful and credible environment.

“As campaigns draw to a close on Thursday, Feb. 19, we look to the security agencies to ensure strict enforcement of the law, prevent the use of thugs, curb vote buying and guarantee the safety of voters and election personnel on election day,” he said.

He added that “no amount of administrative readiness can substitute for effective security coordination,” urging agencies to maintain constant communication, rapid response mechanisms and professionalism, especially in identified flashpoints.

The INEC chairman commended security agencies for their professionalism during the recent Anambra off-cycle governorship election, noting that it contributed to a peaceful process and the declaration of a winner on the first ballot despite the state’s past challenges.

He urged the agencies to replicate the same level of commitment in the forthcoming elections, warning that conducting multiple elections simultaneously across states required “heightened vigilance, adequate manpower deployment and seamless inter-agency cooperation.”

Amupitan also called for early and sustained security engagement ahead of the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and the 2027 general elections, noting that “elections cannot be credible if citizens feel unsafe to participate,” and adding that the credibility of Nigeria’s democracy depended largely on the ability of security agencies to protect the electoral process from start to finish.