The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Joash Amupitan, has emphasised that sufficient financial resources are essential for securing the necessary security measures and logistical support required to successfully execute the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan conveyed this message on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo
State, during a goodwill address at the sixth edition of the Conference and
Retreat for Senior Police Officers, which focused on the theme: “Developing a
Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.”
The INEC chairman noted that while the commission’s funding
is constitutionally designated as a first-line charge on the Consolidated
Revenue Fund, the breadth of its mandates necessitates continuous financial
investment to facilitate effective electoral administration.
He elaborated that INEC bears responsibility for conducting
not only presidential and National Assembly elections, but also governorship
and state House of Assembly elections, managing voter registration, and
overseeing the registration of political parties.
According to him, the commission additionally possesses
statutory authority to direct the deployment of security agencies for electoral
activities and voter registration processes, thereby establishing security as a
fundamental component of the electoral framework.
He said, “Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do
that you are able to do because of financial constraints. The system does make
allocations of what is available and what is affordable at a particular time
for the expenses and appropriation of the agencies, including the police and
also including INEC.”
Amupitan emphasised that voter registration constitutes the
cornerstone of legitimate elections, asserting that an inaccurate or obsolete
voters’ register could compromise the electoral process’s inclusiveness.
He contended that because INEC administers elections
affecting all three governmental tiers, election-related expenditures,
encompassing security-related outlays, ought to be regarded as a shared
national obligation.
The chairman noted that sufficient funding was essential for
deploying personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards,
registration areas, and polling units.
In his assessment, even when security agencies successfully
maintain peace, insufficient logistical support could still jeopardise election
administration.
Amupitan noted that INEC had prioritised both security and
logistics under his tenure, emphasising that the commission was collaborating
with governmental and security entities to prevent operational impediments from
compromising the 2027 elections.
He further emphasised the significance of the Inter-Agency
Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, saying it is a
collaborative forum that combines INEC and security and governmental agencies
to facilitate election security coordination.
He explained that the committee, which originated as a
coordinating framework following the 2011 general elections in response to
post-election violence concerns, has matured into a formalised election
security coordination mechanism.
According to him, ICCES now operates at federal, state and
local government levels, with the Inspector-General of Police participating at
the national level, commissioners of police at the state level and divisional
police leadership represented at the local level.
The INEC chairman said stronger coordination among the
agencies would be necessary ahead of 2027, noting that the police remained the
lead agency when it came to election security.
He also cited recent off-cycle elections as evidence of the
importance of adequate security and coordination, recalling that security
agencies had helped to resolve incidents that could otherwise have disrupted
the electoral process.
Amupitan said the experience of recent elections should be
used to strengthen preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly in
intelligence gathering, logistics and inter-agency coordination.
He added that Nigerians expected a highly effective
electoral system but must also recognise that achieving such standards requires
adequate resources.
“In Nigeria, we want the best. We want our electoral system
to be 100 per cent. But sometimes we don’t ask ourselves the question: if we
want the nation to be perfect, there must be a cost for it,” he said.
He urged the relevant authorities to provide the resources
required by security agencies and INEC to perform their respective
responsibilities effectively.
Reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to deepening
operational synergy through ICCES, the Chairman expressed optimism that the
Owerri retreat would produce an actionable, forward-looking roadmap ahead of
the 2027 General Elections.
He charged senior police managers to sustain absolute
professional neutrality, proactive intelligence gathering, and seamless
inter-agency coordination to continuously protect the integrity of the ballot.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com