From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

Kogi State Police Commissioner, Naziru Kakanrofi has declared that the Command was ready for the State Council election scheduled for Saturday,17, October,2026 to ensure level play ground for all political gladiators and their parties.

Kankarofi gave the assurance at the Command headquarters, Lokoja, on Thursday, while speaking with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Kogi NUJ who paid him a courtesy visit.

” We are fully prepared for the counci election .My officers and men are already on the ground.We have mapped out our strategies and we are good to go:” the police Commissioner told journalists.

The CP disclosed that he already had useful discussion with the Chairman of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC), Mamman Eri, who also visited the command to deliberate on the level of preparation to ensure free, fair and credible elections

He recalled that a general stakeholders’ meeting was also held on Wednesday in Lokoja where political parties and their supporters / members were implored to make the election peaceful.

According to the CP ” KOSEIC Chairman specifically urged
political parties, candidates and their supporters to shun violence and pursue grievances through lawful channels including elections.

He stressed that political disagreements should not degenerate into physical confrontation, urging candidates to educate their supporters on peaceful conduct and obedience to electoral officials and security personnel.

The chairman also urged stakeholders to allow the electoral process to run its course and respect the outcome of the election.

He explained that returning officers were empowered to declare results at ward and local government levels, adding that properly declared results could only be reviewed or overturned by the appropriate electoral tribunal.

Eri directed electoral officers to return original result sheets to the commission, saying the results would be published on its official website when ready.

He said that KOSIEC was committed to an inclusive election, including the participation of persons with disabilities, women and youths.

The chairman also urged the media to provide accurate and responsible information to avoid misinformation and inflammatory reporting.

Eri said the commission had made significant progress towards the election, noting that the notice of election was issued on Oct. 22, 2025, under the electoral law applicable at the time.

He said the stakeholders’ meeting was aimed at identifying remaining challenges and strengthening coordination among stakeholders ahead of the election.
Earlier, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Segun Salami commended the CP for his cooperation with journalists in their constitutional responsibility to give adequate coverage of Police activities in the state in protection of lives and property.

Salami assured of his members readiness for continued partnership with the police on publicising its activities.

By Felix Umande

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has assured Nigerians and the international community of its neutrality and commitment to the integrity of the ballot as the country begins the final 100-day countdown to the 2027 general elections.

Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Tuesday at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.

“We have moved decisively from planning into execution. Our materials are in production, our technology is undergoing rigorous quality assurance, our register is finalised and our workforce is being systematically trained,” he said, describing the 100-day mark as a call to action.

Prof. Amupitan said since assuming office on October 23, 2025, the Commission had conducted off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun, FCT Area Council polls and several bye-elections, which passed integrity benchmarks and tested early deployment of materials and intelligence-led security.

He said of the 14 statutory milestones in the revised timetable released on February 26, nine had been executed, synchronised across 23 headquarters departments, 36 state offices, the FCT and 774 LGAs.

On the voter roll, he disclosed that 10.7 million new voters were registered in three phases of CVR, bringing the national register to 103 million. The register will be displayed for claims and objections from October 9 to 15, while distribution of Phase 1 PVCs begins October 9.

Eighteen of 22 parties submitted 36 presidential tickets, while the final list for National Assembly candidates was published September 12. Governorship and State Assembly lists will be out October 10.

On logistics, Amupitan said production of 57,000 new BVAS devices is advanced, procurement of ballots and result sheets is near completion, and MoUs have been renewed with NURTW, RTEAN and MWUN for over 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats. Sensitive materials will move from CBN vaults 72 hours before polls to 8,838 RACs by 4pm on election eve to enable 7:30am opening.

On technology, a six-day BVAS stress test is scheduled for October 23-28, with nationwide mock accreditation in November. He announced a new Artificial Intelligence Division within ICT operating under human oversight.

On security, he said INEC working through ICCES will train thousands of electoral security personnel and deploy joint undercover teams with EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to track vote-buying. Violators will face arrest under the Electoral Act 2026.

INEC requires 707,384 ad-hoc staff per election day — January 16 and February 6, 2027 — totalling 1.4 million engagements across 176,846 polling units. Recruitment via INECPRES opened September 18 and closes November 18.

He warned against AI-driven disinformation, urging media to fact-check and avoid premature results declaration. “In national elections, it is far more important to be right than to be first,” he said, adding that the Media Accreditation Portal will go live before end of October.

Representing the IGP, AIG Alyonu Idu said police are conducting clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba to stabilise flashpoints and will review pre-election work in November.

EU Ambassador Gautier Mingot described INEC’s task as “Herculean” and said the EU will deploy an expert mission for the polls.

From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

Degroup Movement has reiterated its demand for the rotation of political power to Kogi West Senatorial District, insisting that the issue should not be subjected to unnecessary debate. adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The group made its position known yesterday, during a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Lokoja, Kogi State.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the spokesperson and former member of the House of Representatives representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency, Barrister Shaba Ibrahim, said Degroup remained committed to ensuring that political power rotated to Kogi West.

Shaba said the power-shift summit organised by the Kogi State Government was expected to provide an avenue for dialogue and peaceful discussion on the issue.

He, however, alleged that some members of his delegation were intimidated during the summit, while supporters were allegedly harassed and banners destroyed.

“We were invited to the summit, which was supposed to advocate peace, but some of our delegates were intimidated. Our supporters were harassed and our banners were destroyed,” he alleged.

Shaba said the agitation for power rotation in Kogi State was not a recent development, recalling that the issue had been discussed by previous administrations, including that of the late former Governor Abubakar Audu.

He acknowledged that Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has a constitutional right to seek a second term in office, but maintained that such a right would not stop the group’s demand for power rotation.

“The governor has a constitutional right to a second term, but that cannot stop our agitation,” he said.

Also speaking, Alhaji Sulaiman Baba, who represented the Danko Development Forum, said community-based organisations supporting the agitation were doing so on the basis of equity, justice and fairness.

Baba said the association submitted seven recommendations to the summit, including a proposal that political power rotation should commence with Kogi West in 2027.

According to him, the objective of the summit, as presented to participants, was to promote peace and dialogue, but he alleged that events at the venue did not reflect the expectations of some participants.

He further alleged that some persons described as thugs destroyed banners belonging to supporters of the power-shift campaign.

Similarly, retired Colonel Kabir Ndamadu described what happened during the state government-organised summit as “a show of shame,” insisting that those supporting power rotation would remain committed to their position despite what he described as harassment.

“What we see today is a show of shame,” he said.

He added that the group would continue to advocate for the rotation of political power to Kogi West.
Ends.