2027: Group Seeks Adequate Funding For Police

As part of the preparations for the 2027 general elections, the Integrity Youth Alliance has called for adequate funding, increased public trust and general support for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The group stated that trust in democratic policing remains crucial to the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria.

At a press conference on “Building Trust, Enhancing Security: Supporting the Nigeria Police for Credible 2027 Elections”, the deputy national coordinator of the group, Stephen Okwor, said the NPF, as the lead domestic security agency, plays a central role in safeguarding the electoral process through the protection of voters, electoral officials, and materials, the enforcement of electoral laws, the prevention of violence, and the maintenance of peace before, during, and after elections.

He emphasised that citizens’ confidence in the police is critical to voter participation and overall electoral integrity, and appealed to the federal government, the National Assembly, and development partners to provide the necessary support to enable the Nigeria Police Force to effectively carry out its constitutional mandate ahead of the 2027 polls.

Okwor further called for adequate funding and resourcing of the police for election duties, capacity building in crowd control and conflict de-escalation, improved welfare and insurance for officers deployed during elections, stronger collaboration between security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the full implementation of internal accountability mechanisms within the Force.

While commending the leadership of the NPF under the inspector-general of police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, the group acknowledged ongoing reforms and strategic initiatives aimed at improving operational readiness, inter-agency collaboration and community engagement ahead of future elections.

The Alliance argued that election security should not be left solely to the police and called for a collective approach involving citizens, political actors, civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders to address challenges such as misinformation, voter intimidation, politically motivated violence and logistical constraints.