Use of military in elections should be exceptional not mandatory — INEC Chairman

By Taiwo Scholastica

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has called for the deployment of the Armed Forces during elections to remain an exceptional measure rather than become a routine practice.

Amupitan argues that military support should only be considered when security situations require the intervention of the Armed Forces to assist civil authorities.

The INEC chairman, who was represented by the Director of Legal, Al-Hassan Umar, made the position known on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at a seminar in Abuja.

He said the Constitution had clearly assigned responsibilities to institutions involved in election management, with INEC responsible for conducting elections and the Nigeria Police Force serving as the lead agency for election security.

“As both a teacher and practitioner of the law, permit me to begin by reaffirming the constitutional framework governing election security in Nigeria,” he said.

Amupitan explained that the Armed Forces were expected to provide support when necessary, rather than take a supervisory role in the conduct of elections.

He said their duties could include protecting strategic national assets and critical infrastructure, assisting with the movement of sensitive electoral materials when required, and supporting civil authorities during situations that demand additional security measures.

According to him, maintaining a clear distinction between civilian election management and military support was important to protecting the civilian nature of elections and sustaining public confidence in the electoral process.

The INEC chairman also called on military personnel involved in election security to remain politically neutral and ensure that their conduct reflected professionalism and respect for citizens.

He warned that election security threats ahead of the 2027 general elections could go beyond physical violence to include insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, political violence, cyber interference, misinformation, disinformation, and the misuse of emerging technologies.

Amupitan said INEC was working with security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to improve intelligence gathering, assess threats, and develop coordinated responses to potential risks.

He said the aim was to prevent security challenges from disrupting elections and ensure that eligible Nigerians could vote freely and without intimidation.

The INEC chairman further reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to conducting transparent, inclusive, and technology-driven elections, stressing that the electoral body had no candidate in any election.

He said the success of the 2027 elections would depend not only on the effectiveness of electoral administration but also on the neutrality and professionalism of all institutions involved in the process.

Representing the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Civil-Military Relations, Rear Admiral Abolade Ogunleye, said the Armed Forces had consistently supported civil authorities when called upon, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Ogunleye stressed the importance of ensuring that military personnel maintained neutrality, professionalism, and respect for human rights as political activities increase ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said previous elections had provided opportunities to test inter-agency cooperation, civil-military relations, and operational preparedness, adding that the Armed Forces had remained committed to protecting the country’s democratic process.

According to him, troops played important roles during recent off-cycle and by-elections in Ekiti, Kano, Kebbi, Rivers, Nasarawa, Enugu, and Ondo states, contributing to the peaceful conduct of the polls.

Ogunleye added that the success of Operation SAFE CONDUCT 2027 would be determined not only by the prevention of violence but also by the extent to which personnel upheld impartiality, neutrality, and respect for human rights.