INEC CHAIRMAN TASKS SECURITY AGENCIES ON PROFESSIONALISM, NEUTRALITY 

Ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and other polls scheduled for 2026, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, has charged security agencies to maintain professionalism, neutrality and effective coordination while carrying out election duties.

Amupitan made the call on Friday in Abuja during the first consultative meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for the year, stressing that credible elections depend largely on the conduct of security personnel.

According to him, elections can only succeed when institutions, particularly security agencies, work in harmony in the interest of citizens.

He noted that 2026 will be a demanding electoral year, featuring the FCT Area Council elections, bye-elections in Kano and Rivers states, off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as preparatory activities ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The INEC chairman warned that elections cannot be considered credible if citizens do not feel safe to vote, stressing that the security of voters, election officials and INEC staff must remain a top priority.

“The credibility of our elections, and indeed our democracy, depends largely on your ability to secure the electoral process from start to finish,” Amupitan said.

He added that the increasing tempo of electoral activities places a greater responsibility on security agencies to improve planning, deployment, intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration.

“2026 is a very busy electoral year. From Area Council elections to bye-elections and off-cycle governorship elections, the tempo of electoral activities is rising steadily as we move towards the 2027 General Election.

“This reality places a greater burden on our collective shoulders. Security agencies must therefore up the ante to ensure that every electoral activity is conducted in a safe, peaceful and credible environment,” he said.

Amupitan, however, commended security agencies for their role in the peaceful conduct of the Anambra State governorship election in November 2025, noting that effective deployment, intelligence sharing and swift response to threats enabled INEC to declare a winner on the first ballot.

Looking ahead to the FCT Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, the INEC boss urged security agencies to enforce the law, prevent the use of political thugs, curb vote buying, and ensure the protection of voters and election personnel.