Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the National Peace Committee at the Kukah Centre has launched the Election Security Information (ESI) hub to strengthen the safety, credibility and integrity of the country’s electoral process.
The executive director and head of secretariat of the NPC, Fr. Atta Barkindo, during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, explained that the initiative was established under the auspices of the National Peace Committee, the technical assistance of the European Union to support the democratic governance program in Nigeria.
According to him, the strength of every democracy rests on the credibility of its elections and the confidence of its citizens in the process.
He said in Nigeria, however, insecurity remains one of the greatest threats to electoral integrity, public trust, and peaceful participation.
He lamented that each election cycle exposes familiar vulnerabilities, weak coordination, delayed responses, and limited access to credible information.
“Recent elections, including the 2023 general elections and the 2024 off-cycle polls, reveal the magnitude of these threats.
“And despite the significant efforts by security agencies and electoral institutions, these incidents continue to escalate.
“This escalation underscores the need to collect and deploy credible data for assessing and addressing election-related threats and all threats that retain the capacity to impinge on electoral outcome.
“Over the years, various institutions and stakeholders have made commendable efforts to assess and respond to security risks surrounding elections.
He said the Election Security Information hub seeks to complement ongoing initiatives by providing a platform that enhances information sharing, fosters collaboration, and promotes a more coordinated data-driven approach to election security management.
He said the hub will serve as a repository for gathering, analyzing, and sharing verified data on insecurity and its impact on elections, including the tracking of electoral offenses nationwide.
“The work intends to translate every warning into early, coordinated, and lawful responses, ensuring that emerging threats are addressed proactively tather than actively by relevant stakeholders.
“These outputs are central to enhancing election security and promoting peaceful democratic process. This includes, number one, quarterly threat analysis, providing in-depth assessments of evolving risks to election peace and integrity.
“Others are ; Monthly security reports tracking in insecurity emerging threats and their implications for election management, state-specific security reports, beginning with a number of state off-cycle election security reports, to support targeted preventive action.
“Many situations are designed to monitor peaceful conduct of elections and to evaluate stakeholders and errands to put the letter and spirit of the peace accord.
“Interactive in-security dashboards, offering visualized data for policy formulation, strategic planning, and public awareness.
“Periodic situational reports and forecasts, providing timely updates and expert analysis to inform public discourse and stakeholder engagement.
“Since its creation in 2014, the peace committee has contributed to peaceful elections through the signing of peace efforts and the promotion of political tolerance.
“The ESI represents that evolution, moving from commitment to capacity, from goodwill to credible information, and from prejudice to prevention.
“As we integrate the election security information hope, we affirm the national peace committee’s mission to advance peace, justice, and credible governance,” he said.
