INEC, Police Move Against Politicians Over Threats Ahead of 2027

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have vowed to take action against politicians who issue threats, make inflammatory remarks or attempt to intimidate opponents ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The warning comes amid growing concerns over statements by political actors that could heighten tension and trigger violence as political activities intensify across the country.

INEC said the Electoral Act 2026 gives it powers to monitor political campaigns and sanction political parties and candidates that violate electoral rules. The law prohibits threats, use of force and violence during campaigns.

Under the Act, anyone who threatens or uses force, violence or restraint to influence another person’s voting decision commits an offence and may face a fine of up to N2 million or three years’ imprisonment.

The police also said inciting statements constitute a criminal offence and that individuals found culpable would be arrested, investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The Force said it was preparing sensitisation campaigns for its officers and members of the public to discourage inflammatory political statements and prevent the escalation of tensions ahead of the elections.

Civil society organisations have also urged security agencies to ensure that politicians who make threats are prosecuted, warning that selective enforcement could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

They noted that unchecked political intimidation could lead to pre-election violence, discourage voter participation and threaten the credibility of the 2027 elections.

Stakeholders have consequently called on political parties and their supporters to focus on issue-based campaigns and respect democratic principles as preparations for the elections continue. 

2027 Election: INEC Raises Alarm Over AI-Generated Fake News

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence-generated disinformation could threaten the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), said the increasing use of AI to create fake audio, videos and images could make it harder for voters to distinguish genuine political information from fabricated content.

Amupitan spoke on Wednesday in Abuja through a National Commissioner, Sani Adam (SAN), at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria. His remarks were contained in a statement signed by INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi.

The INEC chairman said the credibility of elections now depended not only on the integrity of the ballot, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and result sheets, but also on how electoral information was communicated, understood and trusted by voters.

He said INEC was carrying out a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems, including system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery plans, ahead of the 2027 election.

Amupitan also disclosed that the commission was considering a mock presidential election to test its preparedness, including voter accreditation, result transmission and result viewing under conditions similar to election day.

He warned that generative AI had made it cheaper and more difficult to detect manipulated political content, while algorithmic microtargeting could allow different groups of voters to receive conflicting political messages.

According to him, such false content could spread to millions of social media users before fact-checkers or electoral authorities could verify it.

Amupitan further disclosed that INEC had proposed a substantial budget for technology and election operations, including new accreditation devices to replace those lost or damaged during the last electoral cycle.

He said the commission was awaiting the full release of the funds, while its ICT team had begun discussions with manufacturers and preparations for the technology audit and proposed mock election continued.