FEATURE: Avoiding inflammatory rhetoric, threats to curb electoral violence
By Kevin Okunzuwa
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
While certain provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 expressly address electoral violence during political campaigns and elections, with penalties clearly prescribed for violations, apparent disregard for these provisions by political gladiators and their supporters is increasingly becoming a cause for concern.
Since campaigns officially began on Aug. 19 for Presidential and National Assembly elections and on Sept. 9 for Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, ahead of the 2027 general elections, there have been growing concerns over the manner some political actors and their supporters have allegedly violated provisions of the law governing campaign conduct.
Of particular concern is the perceived failure of some relevant authorities to effectively curb such violations and hold offenders accountable.
The Electoral Act of 2026 contains several provisions aimed at promoting peaceful political campaigns and preventing acts capable of undermining the credibility and security of elections.
For instance, Section 95 deals with conduct at political rallies and processions. The provision seeks to regulate activities at such gatherings and promote peaceful participation in the political process.
Similarly, Section 96 prohibits certain forms of conduct during political campaigns, including abusive and inflammatory expressions and conduct capable of provoking violent reactions.
Section 96(7), in particular, addresses the use of language, statements, and insinuations capable of provoking violence.
Another significant provision is Section 97, which specifically prohibits the use of force or violence during political campaigns.
The section makes it unlawful for a political party, candidate, aspirant, an individual or a group of persons to directly or indirectly threaten another person with force or violence during a political campaign for the purpose of compelling or preventing political support.
In spite of these clear legal provisions, concerns persist that some political actors and their supporters continue to engage in conduct that appears to run contrary to the provisions of the law.
Critics have consequently questioned the effectiveness of enforcement, particularly where alleged violations occur in the full glare of the public.
Some of the incidents that seem to have drawn the ire of critics include an Edo episode, where the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Jarrett Tenebe, reportedly made a reference to firearms while speaking about the party’s plan to deliver 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Referring to people he said might attempt to frustrate the party’s plans to deliver the target votes, Tenebe reportedly made a reference to firearms.
“Those who do not wish us well, who want to create an obstacle for us, I have a prayer for you,” he was quoted to have said.
“Anybody who refuses, who wants to stand in our way for us not to have those votes that we intend to give to Mr President, AK-47 fire.”
In September, Borno Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, was quoted as allegedly threatening to cut off fingers of critics of Gov. Babagana Zulum’s administration.
Buba spoke at a campaign inauguration organised by the City Boy Movement, a political support organisation.
In another incident, the APC Chairman in Yobe, Alhaji Muhammad Gadaka told women at a political rally in Nangere Local Government Area of the state that he would pay the bride price of women whose husbands divorced for voting for the ruling party.
Though Gadaka later apologised, saying his remark had been misunderstood and was intended as a joke based on a traditional relationship between the Gamawa and Kare-Kare communities, his comment sent jitters down the spines of some members of the electorate.
Also, Mr Danjuma Shekwolo, Chairman of the Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, also reportedly told residents to support the APC or leave the council.
Shekwolo later backtracked, saying the remark was made at a meeting with APC youths and loyalists and was not intended to deny residents their rights based on political affiliation.
In Osun, Sen. Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial Constituency, also reportedly publicly asked his supporters to attack members of the Accord Party ahead of the state’s Aug. 15 governorship election.
It was also reported that the Kano State Police Command invited Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi Warkal, a Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress for the State House of Assembly, for questioning over alleged unlawful display of a firearm at a rally.
The spokesperson for the command, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, disclosed this in a statement on Oct. 5.
According to the spokesperson, Warkal was seen in a viral video openly displaying a firearm suspected to be a pump-action rifle during what appeared to be a political gathering.
Kiyawa said: “The alleged unlawful display of firearm, if established, constitutes a clear violation of the provisions of the Firearms Act and is capable of inciting fear, intimidating members of the public and breaching public peace and security.”
According to him, the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, strongly warns that the command will not tolerate any act of lawlessness, thuggery or display of weapons to avoid threatening public peace.
“The CP further advises members of the public, particularly political gladiators, their supporters and other stakeholders, to conduct themselves peacefully and abide strictly by the provisions of the Electoral Act, the Firearms Act and other extant laws of the land.
“On the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, the said Hon. Aminu Abdullahi Warkal was invited to the command’s headquarters, Bompai, Kano.
“He is currently at the command’s State Intelligence Department, and investigation is in progress,” he said.
The situation has obviously heightened concerns among stakeholders who fear that, if unchecked, intimidation, inflammatory rhetoric, and other forms of electoral misconduct could undermine peaceful political participation and negatively affect the 2027 general elections.
Worried about the potential consequences, concerned stakeholders have continued to speak out, calling for greater vigilance, stronger enforcement of the Electoral Act and appropriate sanctions against individuals or groups found to have violated the law.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has therefore called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the alleged “AK-47” remark. during a party mobilisation.
The association said political mobilisation should be based on persuasion, policies and lawful engagement rather than statements that could be interpreted as threatening.
“Political competition cannot become a justification for threatening citizens, opposition supporters or political opponents with firearms,” HURIWA said.
The rights group urged security agencies to examine whether inflammatory political statements could contribute to threats against political actors and supporters.
HURIWA also expressed concern over the timing of the comments as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, warning against normalisation of violent rhetoric in political campaigns.
The association further urged the DSS to invite deserved individuals, investigate the reported remarks and make its findings public.
It stressed that Nigerians should be able to support political parties and candidates of their choice without fear of intimidation or violence.
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation has also cautioned political parties and their supporters against threats, intimidation and inflammatory rhetoric ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation made this known in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr Joel Odigie, through its Peace and Security Early Warning Mechanism on Tuesday, in Abuja.
Odigie expressed concern over inflammatory political rhetoric as Nigeria would be approaching the general elections, warning that such statements could heighten tensions and trigger electoral violence.
He called on the Nigeria Police Force, DSS and other relevant security agencies to investigate credible allegations of threats of electoral violence.
Apparently reacting to these concerns, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Olatunji Disu, assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with sister security agencies, had activated comprehensive operational and tactical assets to guarantee peaceful and credible 2027 general elections.
Disu gave the reassurance at a world news conference and stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday (Oct. 6) in Abuja.
He pledged that security personnel would exercise legitimate authority rather than force, ensuring that voters could exercise their franchise without intimidation.
Represented by AIG Alinyenu Idu in charge of the Police Mobile Force, Disu said the police were committed to ensuring that the upcoming election would be peaceful, credible and conducted in an atmosphere where citizens could freely exercise their democratic rights.
“Assurances are given here that we hope and believe the elections in January and beyond will be elections that citizens will celebrate, with freedom attained through their democratic rights, ensuring that violence is tamed, citizens are free to come out, and the elections have full legitimacy,” he said.
Disu said the force would draw from a rich institutional memory spanning more than a century to uphold its responsibility as a guardian of social harmony.
He stated that security forces were deploying targeted strategies to moderate election activities, curb potential violence and safeguard the democratic process at all stages.
“We have been able to regulate our actions to moderate election activities, starting from pre-election activities, where we try to activate both operational and tactical assets to review the social fabric of the nation and ensure that the opportunity to participate in electing their leaders does not turn into beds of violence,” he said.
For the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), the challenge is clear.
According to him, electoral integrity cannot be secured by the commission alone. It requires what he described as a partnership among electoral institutions, the media and civil society.
“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust,” the INEC chairman said.
He argued that such trust could not be constructed in isolation.
He spoke at a recent seminar organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the INEC, in Abuja.
He expressed worry that while the commission was concerned about how to combat electoral violence, it was also concerned about how public trust could be restored and sustained in an age of misinformation, political tension and declining institutional trust.
Amupitan, therefore, reassured Nigerians that INEC was not merely preparing for another election but also working to address weaknesses identified in previous exercises.
He said it was why the commission was partnering with editors, whom he described as the “final filter” for credible, factual and balanced reporting of the electoral process.
Amupitan said the role of editors was particularly important in an increasingly chaotic information environment, describing them as influential stakeholders in the electoral management chain.
He urged newsrooms to prioritise fact-checking and verification, warning that fake results, manipulated videos, deepfakes and unverified reports could inflame tensions and delegitimise an otherwise credible election.
Analysts strongly believe that as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, the effectiveness of relevant institutions in enforcing electoral laws will remain crucial to ensuring that political competition is conducted peacefully and that voters are able to exercise their democratic rights without fear, intimidation or violence.(NANFEATURE)
.Edited by Ijeoma Popoola
***If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria
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