These include the scheduled by-elections slated for August 16 in 16 federal and state constituencies across 12 states; the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election slated for November 8 and the nationwide resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

The organisations made the call on Friday in Abuja at the second quarterly meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, are the co-chairmen of the ICCES, with heads of all security and paramilitary as members.

The meeting came after the one held on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

Speaking at the opening before the meeting went to closed-door, the INEC chairman emphasised the importance of ensuring a safe and secured environment for the elections, especially in the face of emerging security concerns raised by political parties, civil society organisations and the media in recent consultative meetings.

Yakubu said that over the next six months, the commission had scheduled a number of elections and electoral activities, and that Friday’s meeting was held in the middle of two electoral activities, with three of these activities requiring security deployment.

“As we plan for the by-elections, the Anambra State governorship election and the resumption of the CVR, I call on the security agencies to make adequate and proactive arrangements for the protection of personnel and assets to be deployed by the commission and all stakeholders for these activities.

“There are some specific areas of security concern raised at our consultative meetings with political parties, civil society organisations and the media earlier this week. These concerns will be presented to you for necessary action at this meeting,” Yakubu said.

The NSA, represented by Mallam Hassan Abdullahi, Director of Internal Security, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), commended the leadership of INEC and the entire ICCES membership for their commitment to ensuring free, fair and secure elections since the current administration began two years ago.

“Our primary objective remains to safeguard the integrity of the upcoming elections. Therefore, we must ensure that eligible voters exercise their right to vote without fear or intimidation,” he said.

The NSA said that in this regard, the committee would strengthen collaboration among the security agencies to quickly address potential threats and challenges during the elections