Why we inaugurated Election Security Information Hub – Abubakar

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC) and former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar (retd), has given reasons why the National Peace Committee and the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN), inaugurated the Election Security Information Hub.

Abubakar stated this during the inauguration of the hub in Abuja.

The former head of state, who was represented by a member of the National Peace Committee, General Martin Luther Agwai (retd), said that while Nigeria’s democracy continued to deepen, each election cycle revealed persistent security challenges, gaps in coordination, intelligence sharing, and weak response systems that allow local tensions to escalate into broader conflicts.

“The Election Security Information Hub is a deliberate response to these challenges. It is a strategic platform designed to gather, analyse, and share information on insecurity and its impact on elections, while tracking electoral offences. Its purpose is simple, yet very profound, to transform early warnings into coordinated, timely, and lawful responses by critical stakeholders,” Abubakar said.

He also said the hub reflected a crucial evolution in Nigeria’s democratic architecture, turning commitment into coordination, and pledges into practical action.

“It will foster collaboration among INEC, security agencies, civil society organisations, and the media, creating a unified space for monitoring risks and strengthening collective action for peaceful elections,” Abubakar also said.

Abubakar recalled that since its establishment in 2014, the National Peace Committee has facilitated the signing of Peace Accords, moral and civic commitments by political actors to conduct themselves peacefully before, during, and after elections.

He also recalled that the National Peace Committee had intervened in other forms of violence not related to elections, but with the capacity to impact negatively on election outcomes.

“Yet, as we have learned, peace must be sustained by systems. The ESI Hub embodies that conviction that peace and credibility must be protected by structure, information, and cooperation,” Abubakar added.

Abubakar further said peace and security were not products of chance, saying that they were the outcomes of vigilance, discipline, professionalism, and shared responsibility.

“The success of this Hub will depend on timely information-sharing, institutional trust, collaboration and the collective will to act decisively on evidence. As we inaugurate the Election Security Information Hub, we reaffirm a timeless truth — one echoed in the spirit of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 16: Democracy flourishes where peace is protected, justice is upheld, and institutions work together in good faith.

“May this Hub serve as a beacon of partnership and foresight, reminding us that credible elections are not the task of one institution alone, but the collective responsibility of all. Together, let us continue to build a Nigeria where elections are contests of leadership, not battlegrounds of fear, a Nigeria where peace, accountability, and cooperation remain the pillars of our democracy,” Abubakar prayed.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Kukah Centre and Head of the National Peace Committee Secretariat, Rev. Fr. Atta Barkindo, said the event was not just the unveiling of a new structure, but the launch of a national commitment, a platform that brought together data collection, response coordination, and foresight to strengthen credible and peaceful elections in Nigeria.

“As we know, Nigeria’s democracy continues to face profound challenges; violence, misinformation, and weak coordination among institutions. Despite the remarkable progress we’ve made, our elections still reflect deep vulnerabilities that threaten public trust. The ESI Hub was conceived as a direct response to these realities, a proactive mechanism to collect, analyse, and share data on election-related security threats,” Barkindo said.

Barkindo also said of utmost importance was that the hub represented the commitment of the National Peace Committee to move from pledges and peace accords to prevention and accountability, saying that the evidence collected would assist the Peace Committee in all its interventions and mediations.