2027: INEC warns politicians against violence, vote buying

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned politicians against violence, intimidation, and inflammatory rhetoric ahead of the 2027 general election.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the warning at a strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Abuja on Monday, October 5, 2026.

The workshop, organised in collaboration with INEC, was themed: ‘Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.’

Amupitan said no political office in Nigeria was worth the blood of a citizen, warning against the use of weapons during campaigns.

Amupitan said the commission was tracking disturbing security reports, including an incident involving a candidate in Kano State allegedly brandishing a firearm during a campaign.

He said: “Just before I was invited to come and speak, somebody shared with me a post of a candidate in Kano, who was campaigning yesterday with a gun in his hands.

“Another person was threatening with AK-47; they will kill all of us in the commission. That is how election has turned into in Nigeria.”

Amupitan stated that democracy thrived on the clash of ideas rather than weapons, intimidation and the proliferation of hate speech.

He said INEC, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), had activated an early-warning framework.

The framework, the INEC boss said, would track incidents of thuggery and dangerous campaign rhetoric ahead of the elections.

Amupitan added: “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.”

The INEC chairman urged politicians, editors and other stakeholders to make patriotism the watchword of the electoral process.

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Amupitan said Nigerians must be provided an environment where they could freely exercise their franchise based on credible and accurate information.

On vote buying, Amupitan said INEC was taking an uncompromising position against financial inducement in all its forms.

He said INEC was strengthening collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice and anti-graft agencies to track illegal campaign spending.

He added that undercover surveillance would be deployed at polling units nationwide to tackle vote buying.

Amupitan said: “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.”

Amupitan pledged INEC’s commitment to providing a transparent, technology-driven, and level playing field for credible elections in 2027 and beyond.

Amupitan said INEC would continue improving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The improvements, he said, would ensure that every valid vote counted and was transparently seen to count.