By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Armed Forces of Nigeria on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to neutrality, professionalism and adherence to human rights in the conduct of the 2027 General Elections.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said this at a seminar on “The Role of the Armed Forces of Nigeria Personnel in Conducting Free, Fair and Credible Elections: The 2027 General Elections in Perspective.”
The seminar was organised by the Defence Headquarters, Department of Operations in Abuja.
The CDS who was represented by Rear Adm. Abolade Ogunleye, the Chief of Training, Defence Headquarters, said the seminar was timely given current security challenges and the need to create an enabling environment for peaceful elections.
He noted that the Constitution saddled the Armed Forces with the mandate to suppress insurrection and provide aid to civil authority when called upon.
“As we approach the election period, it is imperative that personnel are constantly reminded of their roles to ensure strict neutrality, professionalism and adherence to international human rights provisions,” he said.
Oluyede added that the seminar would align commanders and staff officers with their roles and reiterate adherence to the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Operation Safe Conduct 2027.
He cited the just-concluded off-cycle and by-elections in Ekiti, Kano, Kogi, Rivers, Nasarawa, Enugu and Ondo states, saying the professional conduct of troops contributed to seamless and incident-free polls.
The defence chief urged participants to apply lessons learned to strengthen inter-agency cooperation, ensure rapid response and protect law-abiding citizens while remaining apolitical.
He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his strategic guidance and support to the Armed Forces.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Joash Amupitan, who was represented by the Director of Legal Services, Al-Hassan Umar, said security and electoral integrity were inseparable.
Amupitan said INEC was constitutionally mandated to organise elections, while the Nigeria Police Force remained the lead agency for election security under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
He stressed that the role of the Armed Forces was supportive, protective and exceptional, to be deployed only in aid of civil authority and in accordance with the law.
“Election security today extends beyond conventional acts of violence. We are confronted by insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, cyber-enabled interference, misinformation and disinformation”.
Amupitan listed five strategic imperatives for 2027 to include continuous joint planning, intensified election-specific training, intelligence sharing, adherence to code of conduct, and unwavering professionalism and neutrality.
He added that the Commission remained committed to inclusive elections with special attention to persons with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.
“The credibility of the 2027 General Elections will depend not only on the efficiency of electoral administration, but equally on the professionalism, neutrality and constitutional fidelity of every institution entrusted with responsibilities in the electoral process.”
Amupitan reaffirmed that INEC had no candidate in any election and that its allegiance was solely to the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the will of the Nigerian people.
He commended the Armed Forces for their patriotism and pledged further collaboration to ensure peaceful, credible and inclusive elections. (NAN)
