By David Lawani, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission has drawn a legal red line for politicians and political parties ahead of the 2027 general election, warning that campaign rhetoric that crosses from political debate into threats, hate speech and coercion could attract heavy fines and imprisonment.
INEC said political actors were free to canvass for votes and criticise opponents, but insisted that the law draws a clear boundary where campaign language becomes capable of provoking violence, instilling fear or intimidating voters, candidates and electoral officials.
The warning comes amid heightened political activities and increasingly combative rhetoric as politicians and parties position themselves for the 2027 elections.
Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, told THISNIGERIA in a telephone interview on Sunday that the Electoral Act 2026 expressly prohibits campaign messages capable of injuring ethnic, religious, tribal or sectional sentiments.
According to him, political rhetoric becomes electoral intimidation when it moves beyond robust partisan disagreements and policy criticism into coercion, hate speech or threats of harm.
“Political rhetoric crosses the legal threshold into electoral intimidation when campaign speech moves beyond robust partisan debate or policy critique and enters the realm of coercion, hate speech, or the threat of harm,” Oketola said.
He cited Section 96 of the Electoral Act 2026, which prohibits the use of abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language, insinuations and innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent emotions or reactions during political campaigns.
Under the law, he explained, campaign speech must not directly or indirectly inflame religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.
Oketola said the legal threshold is crossed where politicians deploy language that threatens force or violence, whether directly or indirectly, or subjects voters and other electoral actors to pressure through threats of physical harm, economic reprisals or social exclusion.
Such conduct, he said, could also amount to intimidation where it creates an atmosphere of fear calculated to suppress political participation, discourage voter turnout or deny particular groups their right to freely support candidates of their choice.
INEC, however, acknowledged that its powers in dealing with campaign violence are not unlimited, stressing that the commission is an election management body and not a security agency.
Oketola said the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security institutions had statutory responsibilities for maintaining law and order during political rallies and campaigns.
He added that INEC’s responsibility included monitoring campaigns and enforcing compliance with the Code of Conduct for Political Parties, including issuing formal queries and taking administrative action against parties that violate electoral regulations.
But the law also provides specific penalties intended to deter political actors from deploying hate speech and intimidation as campaign tools.
Under Section 96(7) of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate convicted of using prohibited campaign language is liable to a maximum fine of ₦5 million or imprisonment for up to 12 months.
Political parties found guilty of violations could face a ₦10 million fine for a first offence and an additional ₦2 million penalty for every subsequent violation.
Oketola stressed that protecting the integrity of the 2027 elections would require more than INEC’s intervention, calling for a collective response involving security agencies, the media, traditional institutions and religious leaders.
He urged journalists and media organisations to intensify their watchdog role by exposing politicians and other actors who promote inflammatory rhetoric capable of endangering public peace.
Traditional and religious leaders, he added, must deploy their influence to discourage political actors and supporters from exploiting divisive sentiments or encouraging violence.
“Political campaigns should be platforms of competing ideas, not theatres of war,” Oketola said.
The INEC spokesman’s intervention signals the commission’s determination to place political parties and candidates on notice early, as concerns grow over the possibility of inflammatory campaigns and intimidation ahead of the 2027 general election.
With penalties now clearly outlined, the commission said the responsibility for ensuring peaceful elections would rest not only on electoral authorities but also on politicians, security agencies, community leaders, the media and citizens.
The central test, according to INEC, will be whether Nigeria’s political actors can pursue electoral victory through ideas and policies without turning political competition into an instrument of fear, division and violence.
