2027: INEC Warns Politicians Against Violence, Vote Buying

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a stern warning to political parties, candidates and their agents against resorting to violence, hate speech and vote buying ahead of the 2027 General Election, declaring that no political ambition is worth the life of a Nigerian.

The INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, issued the warning on Monday in Abuja while speaking at a Strategic Workshop for Editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the Commission.

Amupitan cautioned political actors against allowing electoral competition to degenerate into violence, intimidation and inflammatory rhetoric as political activities intensify across the country.

“As electioneering intensifies across the country, I must sound a clear note of warning to all political parties, candidates and campaign managers: INEC will not stand by and allow political competition to devolve into violence, intimidation or inflammatory rhetoric,” he said.

He added, “Democracy thrives on the clash of ideas, not the clash of weapons or the proliferation of hate speech.”

The INEC chairman disclosed that the Commission had activated mechanisms to identify and track individuals and political actors implicated in electoral offences, particularly those capable of undermining public safety and the integrity of the electoral process.

“Through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, we have activated an early-warning tracking framework to log incidents of political violence, thuggery and dangerous campaign rhetoric,” he said.

Amupitan warned that political parties and candidates found culpable of inciting violence, disrupting opponents’ rallies or mobilising armed thugs would face statutory sanctions and prosecution.

“Any political party or candidate implicated in inciting violence, disrupting rivals’ rallies or deploying armed thugs will face direct statutory sanctions and swift prosecution. No political office in this country is worth the blood of a single Nigerian,” he said.

Departing from his prepared remarks, the INEC chairman disclosed that he had shortly before the engagement been shown evidence which, according to him, illustrated the kind of electoral conduct the Commission was determined to confront.

“Just before I was invited to come and speak, somebody shared with me… a person, an NDC candidate in Kano State, who was campaigning yesterday with a gun in his hands, brandishing the gun, and so on and so forth,” he said.

He further alleged that another individual had threatened members of the Commission with violence involving AK 47 rifles, lamenting what he described as the disturbing manner in which electoral contests had evolved in Nigeria.

“Another person was threatening that with AK 47s, they will kill all of us in the Commission. So, that is how elections have turned into in Nigeria of today,” Amupitan said.

He subsequently appealed to political actors and citizens to exercise restraint and uphold their civic responsibilities, stressing that elections were periodic exercises through which citizens choose their leaders.

“Let us not forget our role as citizens of Nigeria to be patriotic. Because election is a periodic process for the election of leaders every four years,” he said.

The INEC chairman also announced intensified measures against vote buying, warning that the commercialisation of the electorate’s mandate posed a serious threat to the credibility of the ballot.

According to him, treating votes as commodities to be purchased with money or material inducements fundamentally undermines the integrity of the electoral process.

“The Commission is taking an uncompromising stance against vote-buying in all its forms ahead of the 2027 General Election,” he declared.

Amupitan disclosed that INEC was collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to strengthen financial monitoring during the electoral process.

He said joint financial monitoring teams would be deployed to track illicit campaign expenditure, while undercover surveillance would be conducted at polling units across the country to detect attempts to influence voters through financial or material inducements.

“To the political actors and their agents: attempt to trade cash or material gifts for votes, and you will face immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026. Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” he said.

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