INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan has warned that anyone who attacks election officials or NYSC members deployed for electoral duties will face the full weight of the law, as the Commission steps up preparations for the 2027 general election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a stern warning against violence targeting election personnel as he places the safety of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other officials at the centre of its security preparations for the 2027 polls.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, delivered the warning on Saturday, October 31, during the South-South Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He also cautioned electoral officers against partisanship, absenteeism, negligence and financial misconduct, warning that breaches of official responsibility would attract disciplinary action.
Amupitan said the assessment was designed to test the Commission’s operational capacity, expose weaknesses and improve service delivery before the general election.
He cited recent governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and 16 by-elections as practical experiences informing the preparations.
The scale of the task is reflected in the South-South voter register. The chairman disclosed that the zone has 15,823,550 registered voters, including 3,736,434 in Rivers State. He maintained that administrative lapses or poor logistics must not prevent eligible citizens from exercising their franchise.
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Technology also featured prominently in the address. Amupitan disclosed that INEC was preparing its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including 57,000 newly procured devices.
The Commission is also auditing its electronic result management systems to strengthen the transmission of results and their visibility on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
He addressed concerns over suspicious photographs appearing in the preliminary voters’ register published online, saying the Commission was examining the records and would make corrections based on verified findings.
He called on citizens to scrutinise the register through the display, claims and objections process before the final version is published on December 15, 2026.
The South-South’s difficult waterways and scattered coastal settlements present another challenge. To address transportation risks, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Transporters Union to facilitate the movement of election personnel and materials across riverine communities.
On security, he reaffirmed INEC’s cooperation with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). The arrangement is intended to support intelligence-led planning and protect voters, electoral materials and personnel.
His warning carries particular significance for corps members, who are frequently deployed as ad hoc election staff.
Their safety is essential to the conduct of elections, especially in polling units where regular INEC personnel require additional support. Any attack on them could disrupt voting, expose electoral workers to danger and undermine public confidence in the process.
Amupitan also outlined welfare measures for staff, including the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), improved salaries, hazard and field allowances, and a 150 per cent increase in monthly allocations for state offices, effective July 1, 2026.
The chairman’s message places responsibility on both sides of the electoral process: INEC personnel must uphold professional standards, while those who threaten or assault election workers must answer under the law.
The real test will be whether these commitments translate into secure polling environments, reliable logistics and an election in which no eligible voter is shut out.
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