With less than seven months to the 2027 general elections, growing insecurity is raising fears over the conduct of the polls scheduled for January 16 and February 6, 2027.
Media reports show that at least 5,272 Nigerians were killed in violence-related incidents between January and May 2026. Data from the 15th Report on Violence in Nigeria by Nigeria Watch shows that 222,137 people died in 46,182 violent incidents across the 36 states and the FCT between 2006 and 2025.
The rising death toll has prompted warnings from INEC, rights groups and senior lawyers that the elections could take place under a severe security crisis. Terrorist attacks, banditry, kidnappings and other violent crimes continue across many parts of the country.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, said security and elections are “two sides of the same coin of national stability.” He urged stronger preventive measures and warned: “The scale of insecurity across various parts of the country presents a threat to the conduct of free and fair elections. It is essential that we carry out thorough security risk analyses, ahead of the elections.”
Amupitan described ICCES as the “heartbeat” of election security and added: “Our success depends on ICCES moving from reactive policing to proactive intelligence coordination.”
Responding, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu said strategic threat assessments were already underway nationwide. He noted that “Issues such as political violence, the proliferation of illegal arms, voter intimidation, cyber manipulation, misinformation, and attacks on electoral infrastructure had been identified as priority concerns requiring proactive attention.”
At a June 12 lecture in Abuja, Femi Falana asked: “As we are gathered here today, many children are in the custody of criminals. People are being abducted daily. Can we honestly say we are ready for elections under these conditions?”
Rights activist Debo Adeniran said insecurity could influence voter choices, adding: “If the government demonstrates greater commitment and delivers visible results, public confidence will improve ahead of the 2027 elections.”
