By Nkechi Eze
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged to end the late arrival of election materials, strengthen security around polling units and ensure the protection of electoral personnel ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurances during the Commission’s South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he warned that anyone who threatens, intimidates or harms its ad-hoc staff, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members or permanent personnel would be prosecuted.
Amupitan, who described the protection of electoral workers as non-negotiable, declared that insecurity would not be allowed to undermine the Commission’s constitutional responsibility of conducting credible elections.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger. Anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will be brought to justice under the full weight of the law,” he warned.
The Chairman said the Commission had moved away from reactive security arrangements towards an intelligence-led framework designed to identify and address threats before they disrupt electoral activities.
He identified the new arrangement as the ICCES Tentacle, explaining that it would extend security coordination from national and state headquarters to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote and riverine communities.
According to him, the framework is anchored on three priorities: identifying and mitigating security threats, protecting electoral personnel and infrastructure, and guaranteeing safe access to polling units for voters.
He disclosed that approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands of security agencies would support the security arrangement across the six South-South states.
The network, he said, brings together the military, Navy, Air Force, Police and other security and intelligence agencies to provide coordinated protection across the Niger Delta.
“Together, this integrated multi-agency network represents the operational backbone that guarantees intelligence-led protection across every riverine creek, coastal axis, and land-based polling unit in the Niger Delta,” Amupitan stated.
On logistics, the INEC Chairman assured Nigerians that the delays associated with the distribution of election materials in previous elections would not be repeated in 2027.
He gave the assurance during a courtesy visit to the palace of the King and Paramount Ruler of Port Harcourt, His Royal Majesty, Barr. Uchechukwu Isaiah Elikwu, Eze Epara Rebisi XII, on Friday, as part of the Commission’s South-South readiness assessment tour.
“The era of the past, when elections were supposed to start by 8:30am but materials sometimes arrived very late, must come to an end,” he declared.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC had reduced the voter threshold for deploying additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines from 1,250 to 850 voters per polling unit to improve accreditation efficiency and ease congestion during voting.
He also revealed that the Commission had concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Transporters Union to guarantee the timely and secure transportation of electoral personnel and materials to riverine and coastal communities.
New operational pick-up vehicles, he added, had been distributed to state and local government offices nationwide to strengthen the Commission’s logistical capacity.
The INEC Chairman said the South-South region remained strategically important to the 2027 elections, with 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national voter register.
Rivers State alone, he noted, has 3,736,434 registered voters across its 23 Local Government Areas.
He disclosed that the Commission had completed nine of the 14 major statutory activities in its electoral timetable, ahead of the general election, which is expected to involve more than 103 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units.
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
Amupitan also called on traditional rulers to deploy their influence towards mobilising residents for PVC collection and voter participation, describing the traditional institution as a critical partner in grassroots peace, civic engagement and democratic development.
“We appeal to Your Majesty to help galvanise and mobilise the great people of Port Harcourt to support INEC and pray for INEC,” he told the monarch.
He further urged traditional rulers to help educate their subjects on the dangers of misinformation and disinformation, particularly manipulated content circulated through social media and artificial intelligence.
In his response, Eze Epara Rebisi XII assured the Commission of the support and cooperation of traditional rulers, pledging to mobilise residents to collect their PVCs and participate in the elections.
At the staff engagement, the INEC Chairman also emphasised the need for professionalism, discipline and political neutrality among electoral personnel, warning that partisan conduct, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract swift sanctions.
He reminded staff that Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 provides for an Oath of Neutrality, urging them to allow the law and the Commission’s guidelines to guide their official responsibilities.
Amupitan cautioned that poor administrative performance, including late opening of polling units, unfriendly conduct by officials and unresolved technological challenges, could undermine public confidence and provide opportunities for misinformation.
“False narratives only gain traction when administrative execution falters,” he said.
He added: “When our field execution is flawless, and our data pipeline is clear, no digital algorithm can displace the physical reality of a transparent vote.”
On staff welfare, the Chairman disclosed that INEC had transitioned its workforce from the civil service salary structure to the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure, effective January 1, 2026.
He also announced a 150 per cent increase in monthly state overhead allocations, effective July 1, 2026, as part of measures to improve operational efficiency and staff morale.
“To our field staff: you are the true face of INEC,” he told participants.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, said the zonal assessment was an opportunity to evaluate the Commission’s preparedness, identify outstanding operational gaps and establish practical measures to address them before Election Day.
“The credibility of an election is determined not only by what happens on Election Day but also by the quality of preparations undertaken well in advance,” he said.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, said the exercise would assess election security, staff training, voter education, stakeholder engagement and logistical preparedness across the South-South states.
She added that departmental presentations would examine voter registration and PVC collection, ICT deployment, human resource preparations, electoral operations and electoral risk management as part of efforts to ensure that identified challenges were addressed ahead of the 2027 elections.
