From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission has called on security agencies to ensure adequate and proactive arrangements for the protection of personnel, materials, and stakeholders ahead of a series of upcoming elections, including bye-elections across 12 states and the Anambra State governorship poll.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the appeal during the second regular meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), held over the weekend in Abuja.
“As we plan for the bye-elections, the Anambra Governorship election, and the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), I urge security agencies to make adequate and proactive arrangements for the protection of INEC personnel, assets, and all stakeholders involved in these processes,” Yakubu said.
He revealed that consultations with political parties, civil society organisations, and the media had flagged certain areas of security concern, which require urgent attention from security operatives.
According to him, INEC has lined up several electoral activities over the next six months, three of which will require significant security deployments.
He explained, “First is the conduct of bye-elections to fill vacancies in 16 constituencies: two Senatorial Districts, five Federal Constituencies, and nine State Assembly seats. These elections will take place across 12 states, covering 32 Local Government Areas, 356 Wards, and 6,987 polling units on Saturday, August 16, 2025.”
Yakubu added that two court-ordered rerun elections—disrupted earlier by thuggery and violence—will also be conducted on the same date, subject to assurances from security agencies. These include the Enugu South I State Constituency in Enugu State and the Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency in Kano State.
The INEC boss also highlighted the second major activity—the off-cycle governorship election in Anambra State—scheduled for November 8, 2025.
He said, “Ahead of the Anambra governorship election, the Commission will resume Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the state from July 8 to July 17. The exercise will hold simultaneously across all 326 wards in the state.”
He further disclosed that nationwide CVR would resume with online pre-registration starting August 18, followed by in-person registration on August 25 at all INEC state and local government offices.
“The full details of the CVR will soon be made public and shared with security agencies,” he added.
Speaking at the meeting, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, assured the Commission of robust intelligence-gathering and operational readiness to prevent and address threats before, during, and after the elections.
He warned political actors and their supporters against acts of violence and electoral malpractice, saying such actions would not be tolerated.
“Our primary objective remains to safeguard the integrity of the upcoming elections. Therefore, we must ensure that eligible voters can exercise their rights freely, without fear or intimidation,” Ribadu said.
He commended INEC for its commitment to free, fair, and secure elections under the current administration.
Triumph reports that the electoral body had earlier held a series of consultative meetings with stakeholders, including political party leaders, media executives, civil society organisations, and security agencies from Wednesday, June 25 to Friday, June 27, 2025.
