The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that politicians and political parties who engage in abusive, intemperate, or inflammatory campaign rhetoric ahead of the 2027 general election risk severe penalties, including a N10 million fine and 12-month imprisonment, as stipulated in the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Mr. Adedayo Oketola, gave the warning in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, amid growing concerns over a fresh wave of violent threats by political office holders against dissenting voters across the country.
Oketola clarified that campaign rhetoric crosses into electoral intimidation when it moves beyond robust partisan debate or policy critique and enters the realm of coercion, hate speech, or threat of harm.
Quoting Section 96 of the Electoral Act 2026, he stated:
“A political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.”
He added that the law further prohibits the use of:
“Abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language, insinuations, innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions.”
According to Oketola, rhetoric becomes outright intimidation when it threatens force or violence, whether by warning voters, candidates, or electoral officials of physical harm, economic reprisal, or social ostracisation, with the intent to compel or suppress support for a candidate.
Prescribed Penalties
Oketola disclosed that Section 96(7) of the Electoral Act prescribes severe statutory penalties to serve as deterrence.
He explained: Any candidate convicted of the offence is liable to a maximum fine of N5 million or imprisonment for a term of 12 months.
A political party found in violation is liable to a N10 million fine in the first instance, and N2 million for each subsequent offence.
INEC’s Role and Limitations
Oketola, however, stressed that INEC is an election management body and not a security agency. He noted that Section 95 of the Electoral Act prescribes the security architecture for political rallies, with operational roles assigned to the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other security institutions.
He said: “Beyond inter-agency security coordination, INEC is statutorily empowered to monitor political campaigns and enforce compliance with the Code of Conduct for Political Parties. The Commission can issue formal queries and sanction non-compliant parties within its administrative limits.”
A Collective Responsibility
Oketola insisted that electoral integrity cannot be preserved by INEC alone, describing it as a collective stakeholder duty.
He called on:
ยท The Nigeria Police and other security agencies to prevent the breakdown of law and order during political campaigns.
ยท The Media to actively play its watchdog role by calling out purveyors of incendiary statements.
ยท Traditional and religious leaders to use their moral authority to encourage politicians to eschew inflammatory rhetoric.
“Political campaigns should be platforms of competing ideas, not theatres of war,” Oketola said.
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