Police officers who will be posted out for election duties in the 2027 general election, have been warned to ensure they operate professionally and do not allowed themselves to be used by politicians to compromise the outcome of the polls 

The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, who gave the warning during the monthly conference with strategic senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja,  said the police must remain neutral and provide equal protection to candidates, political parties, their supporters, and eligible voters, regardless of political affiliation.

He warned, “I will not tolerate any officer using the authority of the Police to advance the interest of any political party, candidate or sponsor.

“Any officer found to be colluding with political actors, facilitating thuggery, compromising the integrity of the electoral process or interfering with the rights of voters will be disciplined according to the law,” he warned.

The IGP cautioned officers against allowing politicians to exploit their positions, saying erring personnel would face disciplinary action.

“The Nigeria Police Force is not a tool for any politician, any party or any interest. If you allow yourself to be used, you will face the consequences alone.

“Protect the process, protect the people, and protect your own career and reputation. Do not be used,” the IG said.

He therefore directed Commissioners of Police and other senior officers to remain in their respective commands until the electoral process concludes

Disu, who similarly approved the immediate deployment of additional personnel, vehicles and air support to communities affected by bandit attacks across the country, directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations to coordinate the deployment of additional personnel and equipment to the affected areas in consultation with the respective commands.

Disu also called for stronger engagement with traditional rulers, village heads, hunters’ associations and local vigilante groups, saying residents could provide useful information on the activities of bandits.

*** Explains why Nigeria’ns must trust him, despite current INEC’s trust deficit 
*** Commission sets November 28 for Nationwide Mock Vote, expects outstanding election funds before end of November
By Eze Nnadi 
Amid the continued doubt by Nigerians over the possibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free, fair and credible general election in 2027, chairman of the commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, has assured that INEC, under his leadership will deliver the best credible election in the country, saying Nigerians will have cause to celebrate a credible poll of n 2027
Professor Amupitan, who spoke  during a dialogue at Chattam House in London on Thursday, urged Nigerians to trust his leadership to deliver free, fair, and credible general elections in 2027, pointing to measurable operational improvements recorded in recent off-cycle polls and new technical safeguards designed to prevent a repeat of the 2023 election controversies.
The INEC chairman told the audience that his role as the Chief election umpire in the country places him on a high tack, insisting that his loyalty will only be to the country’s constitution and the Electoral Act
At the high-level dialogue, which was  convened in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) under the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot,” the INEC chairman, according to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, the INEC chairman acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the  conduct of the 2023 general election severely dented public confidence in the electoral body, adding that the exercise caused a big damage from which the Commission is still working to recover.
He said, “My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act,” he affirmed. “Every constitutional institution—including the Presidency, the National Assembly, and state governors—owes its primary loyalty to the Constitution and the rule of law.”
“First and foremost, let me speak about what happened in 2023, which resulted in a significant trust deficit for INEC—damage so large that the Commission has not yet fully recovered from it.”
However, Prof. Amupitan, who assumed office in October 2025, noted that the Commission had treated every subsequent election as a practical laboratory to identify operational weaknesses and strengthen accreditation, voting, and result management.
Responding to a question on why Nigerians should trust his leadership ahead of 2027, he cited the successful conduct of the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council polls, the Ekiti governorship election, and 16 legislative by-elections.
“Why must Nigerians trust me? Nigerians must trust me because, number one, I have conducted off-cycle elections—and observers agree that the recent election in Osun State marked a clear improvement,” he said. “Every election is a lesson. The 2023 general election was a major lesson for Nigeria, and the Anambra election was another.”
He noted that Anambra and Osun previously had histories of prolonged, inconclusive governorship contests—recalling that the 2021 Anambra governorship poll took roughly five days to conclude—whereas targeted administrative reforms under his watch enabled results in both states to be declared the day after voting.
Highlighting insecurity, logistics, and result management as INEC’s three top priorities for 2027, Prof. Amupitan revealed that the Commission’s post-2023 audit traced the most acute result management failures to collation centres rather than polling units.
To eliminate discrepancies between polling unit figures and collation sheets, he announced that INEC has built strict validation safeguards into its system so that inaccurate results or figures reflecting over-voting cannot be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
“We found that the core problem of election result management and declaration in Nigeria is not even at the polling unit—it is at the collation centres,” he explained. “In 2023, there were instances of inaccurate results or results with over-voting being uploaded onto IReV. We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all.
“The moment a result appears on IReV, citizens can trust what they see. By eliminating inconsistencies at the source, collation will become a transparent formality.”
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that while INEC considered introducing an entirely new electoral technology for 2027, it opted instead to upgrade and harden its existing infrastructure due to the tight operational timeline before the polls.
Addressing malfunctions of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) linked to extreme heat and storage conditions in 2023, he announced that INEC is constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across all states. Additionally, the Commission has procured extra devices and reduced the maximum number of voters assigned per BVAS machine from 1,250 to 850, ensuring polling units exceeding 850 registered voters are deployed with multiple devices.
To test these upgrades ahead of the polls, Prof. Amupitan announced a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise scheduled for November 28, 2026.
“On the 28th of this month, we will conduct a mock accreditation and voting exercise across all states of the federation to simulate the presidential election and verify that we have gotten both accreditation and electronic result transmission right,” he stated.
On election financing, the Chairman confirmed that while INEC has received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget, it awaits the release of the outstanding balance—part of which is earmarked for the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc personnel—and has received assurances that the funds will be released before the end of November.
Addressing questions regarding his neutrality following social media allegations linking his phone number to a controversial X (formerly Twitter) account, Prof. Amupitan categorically denied ever operating an X account. He noted that an independent forensic review had been obtained and the matter formally referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.
He also dismissed suggestions that his past legal representation in political disputes would compromise his impartiality, stressing that he acted strictly within his professional duties as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria prior to his appointment.
On concerns regarding alleged voter register anomalies, including claims of an 85 per cent surge in registrants in a ward in Ebonyi State, he stated that the Commission had already investigated and resolved the complaint in line with statutory procedures, noting that the Electoral Act provides clear windows for public claims, objections, and requests for certified true copies of the register.
Concluding his remarks, Prof. Amupitan urged Nigerian youths to stay actively involved in the democratic process and guard against digital disinformation.
“This country belongs to young Nigerians, and they must not relent in working for the Nigeria they desire,” he said. “Misinformation remains one of the greatest threats to our democracy. Citizens must verify information before acting or sharing, and give our democracy the chance to succeed.”

By Prosper Okoye

Hassan Umar Dangaladima has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for Kaura Namoda and Birnin Magaji federal constituency in Zamfara State, securing 9,416 votes in an exercise preceded by security concerns and attacks on party members.

His opponent, Aminu Sani Jaji, polled 661 votes, according to the result announced by the party’s electoral committee.

The declaration was made by Mustapha Muhammed, acting chairman of the APC electoral committee from the party’s national headquarters, who served as the returning officer.

Muhammed said Umar met the party’s constitutional requirements and electoral guidelines, formally declaring him the winner of the primary.

The election took place against a backdrop of security concerns following attacks by suspected political thugs that reportedly left several APC members injured and vehicles damaged.

Security agencies subsequently intervened to restore order, allowing the voting exercise to continue.

Speaking to journalists after his victory, Umar thanked party members and constituents for their support, while acknowledging the role of security personnel and electoral officials in conducting the exercise.

He also called for reconciliation among party stakeholders, extending an olive branch to Jaji and urging supporters of both camps to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Umar said unity within the party would be crucial to its prospects in the next general election.