2027 Elections: DHQ Orders Troops to Remain Apolitical, Uphold Rules of Engagement

The Defence Headquarters has directed personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to remain strictly apolitical and impartial during the 2027 General Elections, warning that troops deployed for election duties must operate within constitutional provisions, established codes of conduct and rules of engagement.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, gave the directive at a one-day seminar organised by the Defence Headquarters Department of Operations in Abuja on Thursday. The seminar, themed “The Role of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the 2027 General Elections,” was convened to strengthen military professionalism and preparedness for election security operations.

Represented by the Chief of Defence Training, Rear Admiral Abolade Ogunleye, the CDS said the evolving security situation and increasing political activities ahead of the elections made it necessary to continually prepare military personnel for their supporting roles. Oluyede stressed that troops deployed under Operation SAFE CONDUCT 2027 must maintain the highest standards of discipline, professionalism, impartiality and respect for human rights. He said the success of the operation would not be judged solely by the absence of electoral violence, but also by the Armed Forces’ adherence to constitutional principles and respect for the rights and dignity of Nigerians.

The CDS noted that the military’s constitutional responsibilities include defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity, suppressing insurrection and providing aid to civil authorities when required. He also pointed to the Armed Forces’ involvement in recent off-cycle and by-elections in Ekiti, Kano, Kebbi, Rivers, Nasarawa, Enugu and Ondo states as evidence of its experience in supporting election security.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, represented by the commission’s Director of Legal Matters, said credible elections could only take place in a secure environment.

Amupitan maintained that while INEC is responsible for conducting elections and the Nigeria Police Force remains the lead agency for election security, the Armed Forces play an essential supporting role when serious security challenges arise. He identified insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, organised political violence, cyber-enabled interference, misinformation and disinformation as threats that could pose challenges to the 2027 elections.

The INEC Chairman therefore called for intelligence-led operations, stronger inter-agency cooperation and proactive security measures to ensure peaceful, credible and transparent elections. The seminar brought together senior military officers, security agencies, election officials and other stakeholders to strengthen coordination ahead of the 2027 polls.