RismadarVoice Reporters
November 1, 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that individuals who threaten, intimidate or attack electoral personnel during the 2027 general elections will face legal consequences.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, issued the warning on Saturday during the commission’s South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Amupitan said the safety of electoral officials, including National Youth Service Corps members serving as ad hoc personnel, remained a priority as preparations for the elections intensified.
He stressed that insecurity would not prevent the commission from fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities and urged security agencies to protect personnel, voters and election materials.
The chairman also warned INEC employees against partisanship, negligence, absenteeism, and financial misconduct, saying breaches of professional standards would attract disciplinary action.
Addressing concerns over delayed commencement of voting, Amupitan assured Nigerians that the commission was strengthening its logistical arrangements to ensure the timely deployment of election materials and personnel.
He disclosed that INEC had entered into an agreement with maritime transport operators to improve access to coastal and riverine communities, particularly in the Niger Delta.
The arrangement is expected to address transportation difficulties that have previously affected election operations in hard-to-reach areas.
Amupitan also highlighted preparations to improve voter accreditation through the deployment of additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices at polling units with large numbers of registered voters.
On security coordination, he said the commission was working with relevant security and intelligence agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering, risk assessment and rapid responses to potential threats.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the South-South geopolitical zone has 15,823,550 registered voters, including 3,736,434 in Rivers State.
He urged electoral officials across the region to demonstrate professionalism, neutrality and accountability throughout the electoral process.
As part of his visit, Amupitan also engaged traditional authorities, seeking community support for voter education, Permanent Voter Card collection and efforts to counter election-related misinformation.
He reaffirmed that the commission had no intention of postponing the general elections.
Under INEC’s revised timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections will follow on February 6.
Amupitan maintained that credible elections would require cooperation among electoral officials, security agencies, political stakeholders and the public.
