The National Peace Committee (NPC) at The Kukah Centre has inaugurated an Election Security Information (ESI) hub, ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Rev. Fr. Atta Barkindo, the Executive Director and Head of NPC Secretariat at a news conference in Abuja, said that the initiative was to strengthen the safety, credibility and integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
Newsmen reports that the ESI hub is established under the auspices of the National Peace Committee with technical assistance from the European Union to support the democratic governance programmes in Nigeria.
Barkindo said that the strength of every democracy rested on the credibility of its elections and the confidence of its citizens in the process.
He, however, said that in Nigeria, insecurity remained one of the greatest threats to electoral integrity, public trust and peaceful participation.
According to him, each election cycle exposes familiar vulnerabilities, weak coordination, delayed responses and limited access to credible information.
“Recent elections, including the 2023 general elections and the 2024 off-cycle polls, revealed the magnitude of these threats,” he said.
Barkindo said that in spite of significant efforts by security agencies and electoral institutions, these incidents continued to escalate.
He explained that this underscored the need to collate and deploy credible data for assessing and addressing election-related threats and all threats that retain the capacity to impinge on electoral outcome.
He said that over the years, various institutions and stakeholders have made commendable efforts to assess and respond to security risks surrounding elections.
He added that the Election Security Information hub sought to complement ongoing initiatives by providing a platform that would enhance information sharing, fosters collaboration and promote a more coordinated data-driven approach to election security management.
He said that the hub would serve as a repository for gathering, analysing and sharing verified data on insecurity and its impact on elections, including the tracking of electoral offenses nationwide.
“The work intends to translate every warning into early, coordinated, and lawful responses, ensuring that emerging threats are addressed proactively rather than actively by relevant stakeholders.
“These outputs are central to enhancing election security and promoting peaceful democratic process. This includes, quarterly threat analysis, providing in-depth assessments of evolving risks to election peace and integrity.’’
Barkindo said that others included: Monthly security reports tracking of insecurity emerging threats and their implications for election management.
He said that would track state-specific security reports beginning with a number of states off-cycle election security reports, to support targeted preventive action.
“Many situations are designed to monitor peaceful conduct of elections and to evaluate stakeholders and errands to put the letter and spirit of the peace accord.
“Interactive in-security dashboards, offering visualised data for policy formulation, strategic planning, and public awareness.
“Periodic situational reports and forecasts, providing timely updates and expert analysis to inform public discourse and stakeholder engagement.
Barkindo explained that since its creation in 2014, the peace committee has contributed to peaceful elections through the signing of peace efforts and the promotion of political tolerance.
He said the ESI, therefore, represented that evolution, moving from commitment to capacity, from goodwill to credible information, and from prejudice to prevention.
He hoped that the integration of the election security information hub would affirm the national peace committee’s mission to advance peace, justice and credible governance in Nigeria.