The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have uncovered and arrested suspects behind a plot targeting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who will serve as its ad hoc staff for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this during the South-East Zonal Interactive Meeting and Readiness Assessment in Enugu.
According to INEC’s Daily Bulletin, the commission used Election Risk Management (ERM) tools to identify potential threats directed at its ad hoc workers, specifically corps members.
The DSS successfully tracked and arrested the individuals behind the scheme, and they are expected to face prosecution shortly.
The INEC Chairman added that the Commission plans to host a Security Conference “very soon” to address other issues relating to election security.
On the Commission’s wider security arrangements, he said its partnership with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) had been reinvigorated and expanded.
Prof. Amupitan said INEC was working with security agencies at national and state levels, using its Election Risk Management (ERM) tools, to develop “a robust, intelligence-driven security architecture.”
He also identified a lingering public trust deficit, voter apathy and the rising tide of misinformation and disinformation as the Commission’s greatest challenges.
“A single malicious fake news post, an unverified rumour, or a deepfake video can travel across millions of screens in seconds,” he warned.
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He said false narratives only gain traction when the Commission’s administrative execution falters.
“The conduct, competence, and character of our staff in the field are either our strongest defence against fake news, or its biggest catalyst,” he stated.
The INEC Chairman said the Commission’s response would be “proactive transparency, swift official communication, and uncompromising operational precision at every polling unit.”
On discipline, Prof. Amupitan said, “Partisan leaning, administrative negligence, extortion, or compromised ethics will not be tolerated under my leadership.”
He reminded staff that Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 requires all staff, Electoral Officers, Presiding Officers, Returning Officers and participating security officials to swear an oath of loyalty and neutrality.
“The question governing your actions must never be ‘Who will benefit from this decision?’ The question must always be ‘What does the law require me to do?’” he said.
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