The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said the deployment of the Nigerian Armed Forces during elections should only happen in exceptional circumstances and not become a routine part of the country’s electoral process.
Amupitan, who was represented by INEC’s Director of Legal, Al-Hassan Umar, made the statement on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at a seminar in Abuja.
He explained that Nigeria’s Constitution clearly assigns responsibilities to institutions involved in election management, noting that while INEC is responsible for conducting elections, the Nigeria Police Force remains the lead agency for election security under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
“The role of the Armed Forces is exceptional rather than routine. Their deployment arises only where prevailing security conditions require military support in aid of the civil authorities and strictly in accordance with the Constitution and other applicable laws,” he said.
According to Amupitan, the military’s role during elections is to support civil authorities, not supervise the electoral process. He said the Armed Forces may be called upon to protect strategic national assets, secure critical infrastructure, assist with the movement of sensitive election materials where necessary, and intervene in extraordinary security situations.
He added that this arrangement helps preserve the civilian nature of elections while ensuring that security support is available whenever it is genuinely needed.
The INEC chairman also urged members of the Armed Forces to remain politically neutral whenever they are deployed for election duties.
“The Armed Forces serve the Nigerian State and the Constitution—not any political party, candidate or individual,” he stated.
He further stressed that military personnel must conduct themselves with discipline, professionalism, courtesy and restraint, saying such behaviour would strengthen public confidence in both Nigeria’s democratic institutions and the military.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Amupitan warned that election security challenges have expanded beyond physical violence to include insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, organised political violence, cyber-enabled interference, misinformation, disinformation and the misuse of emerging technologies.
He disclosed that INEC is working closely with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to improve intelligence sharing, assess security risks and coordinate responses ahead of the elections.
“Our collective objective is straightforward: to identify and neutralise security threats before they disrupt the electoral process, while ensuring that every eligible Nigerian can exercise the constitutional right to vote freely, safely and without intimidation,” he said.
Reaffirming the commission’s neutrality, Amupitan said INEC remains committed to conducting transparent, inclusive and technology-driven elections.
“Our allegiance is solely to the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the freely expressed will of the Nigerian people,” he added.
Also speaking at the seminar, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, represented by the Chief of Defence Civil-Military Relations, Rear Admiral Abolade Ogunleye, assured Nigerians that the Armed Forces would continue to support civil authorities while maintaining professionalism and strict political neutrality.
Ogunleye said military personnel would continue to be reminded of their responsibility to uphold neutrality, professionalism and international human rights standards throughout the election period.
He also noted that troops played key roles during recent off-cycle and by-elections in Ekiti, Kano, Kebbi, Rivers, Nasarawa, Enugu and Ondo states, adding that their professional conduct contributed to peaceful and incident-free elections.
According to him, the success of Operation SAFE CONDUCT 2027 will be judged not only by the absence of violence but also by the military’s commitment to impartiality, neutrality and respect for human rights.
Source: INEC Seminar in Abuja.
