08/09/2026
ICCES STAKEHOLDERS MEETING, NASARAWA STATE
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) convened the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) Stakeholders Meeting on Tuesday, 8th September 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the INEC State Office Conference Hall, Lafia.
The meeting was convened to identify and address emerging and anticipated security challenges ahead of the 2027 General Elections, assess operational readiness, strengthen inter-agency intelligence sharing, and enhance collaboration towards ensuring a safe, peaceful, transparent and credible electoral process.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman and Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq.
He informed participants that INEC had commenced preparations for the 2027 General Elections, including voter registration, the issuance of election notices, conduct of party primaries, release of election timetables and publication of candidates’ lists. He also disclosed that an information kit had been developed and printed to guide stakeholders in the preparation of operational orders.
The Chairman identified the major areas of focus as security deployment across Registration Areas and Polling Units, identification of potential flashpoints and emerging threats, strengthened intelligence sharing, enforcement of campaign guidelines and relevant provisions of the Constitution, Electoral Act 2026 and Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2026, particularly against hate speech and political violence. He also emphasised sustained engagement with political parties and the need to establish a timeline for the signing of the Peace Accord by all candidates.
He stressed that the credibility of elections depends largely on the security environment in which they are conducted and expressed confidence that effective collaboration, timely intelligence sharing and collective commitment would contribute to a peaceful and credible 2027 election.
During the interactive session, the Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State Command and Co-Chairman of ICCES, CP Shettima Jauro Mohammed, expressed concern over the inadequate early engagement of security agencies by INEC to address premature electioneering campaigns, which had contributed to some security breaches. He, however, commended INEC for convening the meeting and called for stronger inter-agency collaboration and early security preparations for the 2027 elections.
The State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Augustine Akwe, applauded INEC for the timely release of the Electoral Act and appealed for support for massive grassroots sensitisation on hate speech, its sanctions, and the need for issues-based campaigns rather than personality attacks.
The representative of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) stated that the Service had cautioned non-citizens residing in the State against engaging in partisan political activities, particularly activities that could be exploited to cause disorder or mayhem. He explained that the measure was part of proactive preparations to prevent the involvement of non-citizens in political activities and avert unforeseen security challenges during the 2027 elections.
The NYSC representative pledged to provide the required personnel as electoral officials and urged INEC to commence early preparations to adequately equip corps members with the necessary skills to perform their electoral duties professionally.
The meeting was attended by the Resident Electoral Commissioner and officials of INEC; National Orientation Agency(NOA); the Commissioner of Police and Co-Chairman of ICCES, CP Shettima Jauro Mohammed; representatives of the DSS, NSCDC, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, NDLEA, NYSC and members of the press.
