The Department of State Services has arrested suspects over an alleged plot targeting ad hoc personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission and members of the National Youth Service Corps ahead of the 2027 general election. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Enugu, saying intelligence provided by the DSS helped uncover the plot.
Amupitan said the suspects would be prosecuted but did not disclose their identities, the nature of the alleged plot or why the election personnel were targeted. He added that INEC was strengthening security arrangements before, during and after the elections and planned to organise a security conference to address electoral threats.
The INEC chairman also announced improvements to the commission’s result management systems, including the eEC8A electronic verification platform. He said the system would make the movement of results from polling units to the national collation centre visible and verifiable in real time through the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
Amupitan directed officials to review Continuous Voter Registration records in the Southeast and address obstacles delaying the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards. He said no eligible voter should be disenfranchised by administrative or logistical challenges, adding that online registration and printable PVC technology had been introduced to improve access.
According to Amupitan, the 2027 elections will involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while governorship and state assembly elections will take place on February 6.
He identified public distrust, voter apathy and the spread of misinformation and disinformation as major challenges facing the commission.
Amupitan warned that fake news, unverified rumours and deepfake videos could weaken public confidence in the electoral process, stressing that the conduct and competence of INEC staff would be essential to countering false narratives.
A former INEC National Commissioner, Mike Igini, also warned that political interference in the recruitment of election personnel could undermine the credibility of the 2027 polls. Speaking on ARISE News, he alleged that politicians were infiltrating agencies responsible for supplying election staff and called for stronger enforcement of electoral laws, particularly to protect the integrity of presiding officers responsible for voting and recording results at polling units.
