The National Peace Committee (NPC) on Tuesday paid a strategic advocacy visit to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.
The engagement forms part of ongoing pre-election consultations ahead of the 21 February 2026 FCT Area Council Elections, as well as Ekiti and Osun off-cycle polls and the 2027 General Elections. Leading the delegation, the Head of Secretariat, Rev. Fr. Atta Barkindo, Ph.D., conveyed the goodwill of NPC Chairman, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, GCFR, and Convener, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah. He reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to supporting INEC through preventive engagement, advisory support and peace advocacy.
At the Centre of the meeting was a security and electoral risk briefing drawn from the Committee’s Election Security Information Hub (ESI Hub). The data-driven platform deploys field observers and analysts to track conflict trends, electoral violence indicators and political risk factors across the country. Receiving the report, Prof. Amupitan described the Committee’s presentation as timely and valuable. He assured the delegation that the intelligence shared would be reviewed and escalated to the Commission’s security structures and relevant agencies for necessary action. He noted that specific attention would be paid to identified flashpoints, particularly AMAC, Bwari and Kuje Area Councils.
The Committee’s hotspot analysis highlighted risks including vote buying and political intimidation in AMAC; indigene-settler tensions and thuggery in Gwagwalada; farmer-herder conflicts and kidnapping threats in Bwari; and cross-border security pressures affecting Kwali. On electoral malpractice, the INEC Chairman reiterated the Commission’s resolve to curb vote buying. He disclosed that the Nigeria Police, EFCC and ICPC have been placed on alert to monitor and address electoral financial crimes. He further described the 2026 elections as critical preparatory exercises toward the 2027 General Elections, noting that operational lessons would shape future electoral planning and security coordination. The meeting also reinforced the Peace Accord as a binding civic instrument for political accountability, peaceful campaigns and acceptance of outcomes.
The NPC reaffirmed its readiness to sustain collaboration with INEC and other stakeholders through early warning, peace messaging and preventive diplomacy, underscoring that peaceful elections remain fundamental to democratic legitimacy and national stability.
