{"id":11881,"date":"2026-03-16T16:13:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T16:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/?p=11881"},"modified":"2026-03-16T16:13:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T16:13:36","slug":"national-security-key-to-credibility-polls-inec-boss-tells-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/2026\/03\/16\/national-security-key-to-credibility-polls-inec-boss-tells-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"National Security key to Credibility Polls  -INEC Boss tells Alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By George Mgbeleke <\/p>\n<p>The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has underscored the critical link between credible elections and national security, describing peaceful and transparent elections as the foundation for Nigeria\u2019s stability and democratic consolidation.<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Amupitan made the assertion on Monday, at the Commission\u2019s Headquarters in Abuja while receiving a delegation of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies (ANNISS), led by its President, Barr. Mike Ejiofor, FSI.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_11883\" style=\"width: 1090px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11883\" src=\"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260316-WA00462.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"466\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11883\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260316-WA00462.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260316-WA00462-300x129.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260316-WA00462-1024x442.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260316-WA00462-768x331.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11883\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan and members of his Alumni Association<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>The visit was in preparation for the Association\u2019s Second Annual Lecture themed \u201cCredible Elections and National Security in Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Welcoming the delegation, the INEC Chairman described the theme as timely and significant, noting that the integrity of elections has direct implications for national peace and security.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCredible elections are the bedrock of our democracy and their integrity directly impacts on our national security,\u201d he said. \u201cFor us in INEC, a free, fair and credible election cannot happen if it is not peaceful. It is therefore imperative that security agencies, policy makers and stakeholders work in harmony to uphold transparency, fairness and security during every electoral cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He commended ANNISS for its role in strengthening Nigeria\u2019s security architecture through the training of senior officers across the armed forces, intelligence and regulatory agencies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Nigeria continues to deepen its democratic processes, ensuring credible elections remains our foremost priority,\u201d Prof. Amupitan stated. \u201cWe recognize that a secure environment is foundational for the success of our electoral processes and ultimately for Nigeria\u2019s progress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The INEC Chairman also reaffirmed the Commission\u2019s commitment to collaboration with security stakeholders, stressing that inter-agency synergy remains indispensable to the successful conduct of elections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cINEC remains committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections, leveraging innovative approaches and strengthening collective collaborations,\u201d he assured.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in his remarks, ANNISS President, Barr. Mike Ejiofor, emphasized the importance of closer institutional engagement between the electoral body and security professionals, particularly as preparations gradually gather momentum towards the 2027 General Election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe course at the Institute is designed for top management staff and addresses critical issues, including the security of the electoral process,\u201d he said. \u201cGiven what is expected of INEC as we approach 2027, the Commission should not be left out of such strategic engagements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barr. Ejiofor congratulated the INEC Chairman on his appointment, describing the responsibility of overseeing elections in a country of over 200 million people as a weighty national assignment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo matter what we do, there may be hitches,\u201d he noted. \u201cBut we pray for a seamless process in 2027. That is why this conversation on credible elections and national security is essential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He disclosed that the forthcoming Annual Lecture will convene security experts, civil society actors and electoral stakeholders to explore practical measures for strengthening electoral integrity. He further announced that a former Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, will serve as Guest Speaker at the event.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of both institutions to sustained dialogue and cooperation in safeguarding Nigeria\u2019s democracy through credible and secure elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By George Mgbeleke The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has underscored the critical link between credible elections and national security, describing peaceful and transparent elections as the foundation for Nigeria\u2019s stability and democratic consolidation. Prof. Amupitan made the assertion on Monday, at the Commission\u2019s Headquarters in Abuja while [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1338,26,888],"class_list":["post-11881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-fairness","tag-security","tag-transparency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11884,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11881\/revisions\/11884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}