National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in collaboration with the Centre for Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMICO), on Friday, 4 September 2026, held a strategic roundtable in Abuja to discuss the proposed zonal townhalls on preventing electoral violence and strengthening election security ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 General Election.
The roundtable, held at the NCTC-ONSA, brought together representatives of government institutions, the Armed Forces, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), development partners, civil society and other strategic stakeholders to consider a coordinated approach to election security before, during and after the 2027 electoral cycle.
Welcoming participants, the National Coordinator of the NCTC, Maj. Gen. Garba Laka, reiterated the need for sustained attention to election security across all stages of the electoral process, describing the prevention of violence as an important component of the NCTC-ONSA’s commitment to national security.
He commended CIMICO for its continued commitment to strengthening national security and expressed confidence in the prospects of the proposed zonal townhall engagements.
In setting the context for the discussion, the Director of Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism, NCTC, Amb. Abimbola Wonosikou, mni, in her presentation titled “ _PCVE in Elections Now: Linking to the 2027 Electoral Cycle,”_ highlighted the relationship between preventing and countering violent extremism and election security, noting the importance of early and coordinated preventive action.
Presenting the proposed townhall framework, Dr. Agrih Dauda Sukukum, PSO, Strategic Communications, PCVE, outlined the proposed structure, thematic focus, timeline and implementation arrangements for the zonal engagements.
Moderating the interactive session, the Coordinator of CIMICO, Dr. Adams Otakwu, mni, said the 2027 elections represented a critical moment for Nigeria and that creating a secure environment for free, fair and peaceful elections should be a whole-of-society responsibility.
He stressed that the value of the roundtable lay in bringing key election-security stakeholders together at the beginning of the process to jointly identify risks, strengthen coordination and develop practical measures for preventing electoral violence.
The Commissioner for Land and Urban Development, Enugu State, Hon. Chima Patrick Okorie, who represented the Governor of Enugu State, expressed the state’s readiness to host the proposed South-East Zonal Townhall and assured participants of the commitment of the Enugu State Government to election security.
Representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian
Navy, Nigerian Police Force, INEC, National Orientation Agency, UNODC, British High Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria, Galaxy Backbone, NITDA, NSCDC, NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service, IPAC, Radio Nigeria and other stakeholders welcomed the initiative and expressed readiness to contribute to efforts aimed at strengthening election security.
The roundtable also attracted representatives of the European Union, Nigerian Air Force, Defence Headquarters, the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and others. In his vote of thanks, Dr. Muhammad Auwal Sule of CIMICO appreciated the participating institutions for their commitment to the initiative, acknowledged the sacrifices of security personnel in protecting the nation, and called on participants to observe a minute’s silence in honour of fallen heroes.
The roundtable ended with remarks by Amb. Abimbola Wonosikou, mni, and a broad consensus among stakeholders that clear roles and responsibilities should be assigned and communicated to each stakeholder for the proposed zonal townhalls, enabling preparatory actions and implementation to commence without delay.
