2027: INEC urges security agencies to protect personnel, materials in Ondo
By Boye Oyeyemi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged security agencies in Ondo State to strengthen the protection of its personnel and electoral materials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, made the appeal on Thursday in Akure at a stakeholders’ meeting organised for the Ondo Central Senatorial District.
Agboke said the commission was intensifying voter education ahead of the elections, adding that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards would commence on October 9.
He expressed concern over inadequate security coverage at some polling and collation centres during previous elections, stressing the need for security agencies to ensure that electoral officials and materials were adequately protected.
The REC also cautioned political parties and their supporters against vote-buying, thuggery and other practices capable of undermining the credibility of the 2027 elections, saying voters must be allowed to freely determine the outcome through their choices.
Similarly, the lawmaker representing Akure South Constituency II in the Ondo State House of Assembly, Stephen Abitogun, commended INEC for its voter sensitisation efforts and urged political actors to discourage violence and educate their supporters on peaceful participation in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party Chairman in Akure South Local Government, Olayemi Olajide, described elections as a means of choosing leaders rather than an avenue for confrontation, warning voters against exchanging their future for money.
Representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Department of State Services and Nigeria Immigration Service who attended the meeting assured INEC and other stakeholders of their readiness to maintain security before, during and after the 2027 elections.
