Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), has warned that cyber threats, coordinated disinformation and social media manipulation could pose a greater threat to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections than armed attacks at polling units.
Musa gave the warning in a keynote address delivered on his behalf by retired Major General O.T. Akinjobi at the 2025 Blueprint Annual Public Lecture, Impact Series and Awards Ceremony in Abuja.
The event, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, was themed, “Security Challenges and Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.”
Musa said Nigeria must urgently rethink its approach to election security in response to emerging digital threats.
He said election security could no longer be limited to deploying security personnel to polling units, protecting electoral materials and preventing physical violence.
“Today’s threats rarely announce themselves with uniforms or conventional weapons. They march through cyberspace, spread through manipulated information, exploit economic pressure, inflame ethnic and religious divisions and undermine confidence in public institutions,” he said.
The minister warned that malicious actors could use technology to clone voices, fabricate videos and spread false narratives capable of influencing millions of voters.
“The greatest threat to our elections may not necessarily be the individual carrying a weapon near a polling unit. It may well be the anonymous actor operating behind a computer screen, deliberately manipulating information, exploiting social media platforms and attempting to weaken confidence in democratic institutions,” he said.
He called for an election-security framework combining physical security with cybersecurity, intelligence gathering, strategic communication and public education.
Musa urged security agencies to strengthen early-warning systems, threat assessments and real-time intelligence sharing.
“As elections become increasingly technology-enabled, protecting digital infrastructure is no longer optional,” he said.
He also called for closer cooperation among security agencies while urging institutions to respect their constitutional responsibilities.
The minister warned that government silence in the face of false information could create an information vacuum that would be exploited by those seeking to destabilise the electoral process.
“Timely, accurate and coordinated public communication is essential to sustaining public confidence before, during and after elections,” he said.
Musa stressed that the government could not tackle misinformation alone, saying the media, technology companies, civil society organisations, educational institutions and citizens all had roles to play.
He urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing it and reject political violence.
Political parties and candidates, he added, must stop treating elections as warfare.
“Political parties must place national interest above partisan advantage and candidates must recognise that political competition is not war,” he said.
He also appealed to young Nigerians to reject attempts to recruit them as instruments of electoral violence.
“Security should never be viewed as an event. It is a process that begins long before campaigns commence and continues long after the final vote has been counted,” he said.
Musa said the ultimate objective should be to create an environment where citizens could vote without fear and trust electoral institutions.
“Security in its truest sense is not merely the absence of violence. It is the presence of confidence,” he said.
Earlier, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Blueprint Newspapers Ltd, Malam Salisu Umar, said the choice of the lecture theme was driven by concerns over threats that could undermine the 2027 elections.
He said the annual event, established in 2018, provided a platform for intellectual discussions on critical national issues.
The ceremony also featured the presentation of awards to distinguished Nigerians.
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