Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Kogi State on Monday unveiled comprehensive strategies to ensure peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.
The security meeting, held at the INEC headquarters conference hall in Lokoja, brought together leaders and candidates of all registered political parties in the state.
The meeting was chaired by the Kogi State Commissioner of Police and Co-Chairman of ICCES, CP Bello Kankorfi, and had in attendance heads of all security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Deliberations centred on security coordination across the 21 LGAs, compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, adherence to campaign guidelines, checkmating political thuggery and vote-buying, and the need for parties to caution supporters against electoral violence.
The forum also gave political parties the opportunity to interface directly with security chiefs and INEC management on deployment, movement restriction on election day and the Commission’s level of preparedness.
Some opposition parties raised concerns over thuggery, voter intimidation and molestation of supporters. They cited alleged attacks on members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ofu LGA and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Gegu, Kogi LGA, calling for thorough investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.
In his remarks, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kogi, Dr. Shehu L Wahab said ICCES has put robust measures in place to guarantee the safety of INEC staff, materials and voters.
He assured that the 2027 presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State Assembly elections will be free, fair, credible and transparent, disclosing that early preparations including stakeholder engagements, voter education and logistics are already underway.
Dr. Wahab urged parties to play by the rules, submit campaign schedules on time and sensitise supporters on peaceful conduct, stressing that INEC will remain neutral and will not condone electoral malpractice.
Responding, CP Kankorfi assured that all complaints would be investigated without bias, warning that security agencies will not tolerate political thuggery, intimidation or violence in any form.
“Anyone caught disrupting public peace, no matter how highly placed, will face the full wrath of the law,” he warne
He said ICCES has mapped out a comprehensive security architecture that includes enhanced intelligence gathering, joint patrols across flashpoints, deployment of adequate personnel to all 21 LGAs and close monitoring of campaign activities.
He said security agencies will be neutral and professional, with no undue advantage to any party, and urged parties to submit their campaign timetables to the police for proper coverage, while warning against use of thugs as campaign security.
On the reported attacks in Ofu and Gegu, the CP promised thorough investigation and that findings would be made public.
Opposition parties on their part charged INEC and security agencies to remain neutral, objective and transparent to boost public confidence.
The meeting ended with a collective pledge by all stakeholders to work for violence-free elections in Kogi State.
