By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that anyone who threatens or attacks its electoral personnel will face the full weight of the law, as it steps up security arrangements ahead of the 2027 General Election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the warning on Saturday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the Commission’s South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement.
Amupitan said the Commission was adopting a proactive, intelligence-led security framework to protect electoral personnel, election materials, technological infrastructure and voters across the country.
He explained that the new arrangement, tagged the ICCES Tentacle, would extend security coordination from national and state headquarters to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote and riverine communities.
The INEC chairman identified threat mapping and mitigation, protection of electoral personnel and infrastructure, and unrestricted access to polling units as the framework’s three major pillars.
He disclosed that approximately 60 operational formations, headquarters and state commands of security and intelligence agencies would support election security across the six South-South states under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
Amupitan said the South-South region had 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national register, with Rivers State accounting for 3,736,434 voters across its 23 local government areas.
On preparations for the 2027 elections, he disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 major statutory activities outlined in its election timetable.
He said the elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Assembly elections would hold on February 6, 2027.
The chairman also announced that the Commission had concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Transporters Union to facilitate the timely and secure movement of personnel and election materials to riverine and coastal communities.
He added that new operational vehicles had been distributed to state and local government offices nationwide to strengthen logistics.
On staff welfare, Amupitan said INEC had introduced the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure, effective January 1, 2026, and approved a 150 per cent increase in monthly state overhead allocations from July 1, 2026.
He, however, warned that negligence, partisan conduct, financial impropriety and absenteeism among electoral personnel would attract decisive sanctions.
Citing Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides for an Oath of Neutrality, he urged staff to remain impartial and guided by the law in discharging their responsibilities.
He also cautioned that administrative lapses, including late opening of polling units and unresolved technical challenges, could undermine public confidence and provide opportunities for misinformation and disinformation.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, said the engagement was designed to assess the Commission’s preparedness, identify operational gaps and develop strategies to address challenges ahead of the elections.
He emphasized that credible elections depended on adequate planning, resources, technological readiness, competent personnel and effective stakeholder engagement.
Similarly, the Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, said the assessment would examine election security, staff training, voter education, stakeholder engagement and logistical preparedness across the South-South states.
She added that the Commission was also seeking stronger collaboration with traditional rulers to promote grassroots mobilization ahead of the 2027 elections.
