2027: Amupitan Cautions Military Against Partisanship

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), members of the Armed Forces to maintain absolute political neutrality whenever called upon to support election security operations.

He however, cautioned that the deployment of the Armed Forces during elections should remain exceptional rather than routine.

The INEC chairman also urged security agencies to be proactive and eliminate threats before they disrupt the 2027 general election.

“The Armed Forces serve the Nigerian State and the Constitution—not any political party, candidate or individual,” he said.

He spoke on Thursday at a one day seminar organised by the Defence Headquarters with the theme, “The Role of the Armed Forces of Nigeria Personnel in Conducting Free, Fair and Credible Elections: The 2027 General Elections in Perspective.”

Amupitan represented by the Director Legal Al-Hassan Umar SAN, stressed that military involvement must only occur when prevailing security conditions require support for civil authorities.

“As both a teacher and practitioner of the law, permit me to begin by reaffirming the constitutional framework governing election security in Nigeria.

“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly delineates the responsibilities of institutions involved in the electoral process. INEC is constitutionally mandated to organise, undertake and supervise elections, while the Nigeria Police Force remains the lead agency for election security under the framework of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

“The role of the Armed Forces is exceptional rather than routine. Their deployment arises only where prevailing security conditions require military support in aid of the civil authorities and strictly in accordance with the Constitution and other applicable laws.”

According to him, the Armed Forces play “a supportive rather than supervisory role, protective rather than political, and one firmly anchored in constitutional responsibility.”

Amupitan explained that military responsibilities during elections could include securing strategic national assets, protecting critical infrastructure, supporting the movement of sensitive electoral materials where necessary and assisting civil authorities in situations requiring extraordinary security intervention.

“This constitutional arrangement does not diminish the importance of the Armed Forces. Rather, it preserves the civilian character of elections while ensuring that security support remains available whenever exceptional circumstances demand it,” he said.

He noted that maintaining the balance between civilian election management and military support was essential to preserving public confidence in both the electoral process and the Armed Forces.

He said our collective objective is straightforward: “to identify and neutralise security threats before they disrupt the electoral process, while ensuring that every eligible Nigerian can exercise the constitutional right to vote freely, safely and without intimidation.

“Election security must therefore remain proactive rather than reactive, combining intelligence-led operations, effective inter-agency coordination, strategic communication and timely deployment of appropriate security resources,”.

He also warned that election security today extends beyond conventional acts of violence to include complex and sometimes asymmetric threats, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, organised political violence, attacks on critical infrastructure, cyber-enabled interference, misinformation and disinformation campaigns, and the misuse of emerging technologies to undermine public confidence in democratic institutions.

He said public confidence in elections depends not only on the actual integrity of the process but equally on the public perception of fairness, impartiality and professionalism of agencies involved.

“Every action taken by security personnel during elections is closely observe by citizens, political parties, election observers and the international community. Members of the Armed Forces deployed in support of election security must therefore demonstrate absolute political neutrality,adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law, respect for fundamental rights, impartial treatment of all political parties and candidates, accountability in the discharge of their responsibilities”.

“The Armed Forces serve the Nigerian State and the Constitution-not political party, candidate or individual.

Every interaction between military personnel and citizens during election should therefore reflect courtesy, discipline, restraint and professional These values strengthen public confidence in both our democratic institu. and the Armed Forces as one of Nigeria’s most respected national institutions,”

According to him, democracy derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed, freely expressed through credible elections, adding that consent, however, cannot be freely expressed where fear, violence or intimidation prevail. Security and electoral integrity are therefore inseparable.

He reiterated that elections represent one of the largest peacetime national undertakings in Nigeria, requiring the deployment of election personnel and sensitive materials across thousands of polling locations nationwide.

“Protecting this vast operational undertaking demands effective planning, seamless coordination and the unwavering commitment of all security institutions,”.

Amupitan noted that the conduct of a General Election in Nigeria remains one of the most logistical operations undertaken in peacetime which involves the movement of sensitive electoral materials, the deployment of election officials thousands of polling locations, and the coordination of operations in geographical terrains, including difficult riverine, mountainous and hard-to-reach communities.