RismadarVoice Reporters
October 6, 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned political parties and candidates against violence, hate speech and vote-buying ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that no political ambition is worth the life of any Nigerian.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, issued the warning on Monday at a strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission in Abuja.
Amupitan said INEC would not tolerate political competition degenerating into violence, intimidation or inflammatory rhetoric as campaigns intensify across the country.
“Democracy thrives on the clash of ideas, not the clash of weapons or the proliferation of hate speech,” he said.
He disclosed that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security had activated an early-warning framework to track political violence, thuggery and dangerous campaign rhetoric.
According to him, political parties or candidates found inciting violence, disrupting opponents’ rallies or deploying armed thugs would face statutory sanctions and prosecution.
“No political office in this country is worth the blood of a single Nigerian,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman also raised concern over alleged incidents involving firearms and threats during political activities.
He said material shown to him shortly before the workshop allegedly depicted a candidate in Kano State brandishing a firearm during a campaign. He also referred to a separate alleged threat against INEC personnel.
The allegations have not been independently established, and Amupitan did not announce any finding of wrongdoing against the individuals concerned.
He urged political actors and citizens to exercise restraint, stressing that elections are periodic democratic exercises for choosing leaders and should not become a source of violence.
Amupitan also announced tougher measures against vote-buying and illegal campaign expenditure, saying INEC was collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
He said joint financial monitoring teams would track suspected illegal campaign spending, while efforts would also be made to detect vote-buying during elections.
On voter registration, Amupitan said the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced more than 10.6 million new registrations.
The first phase, conducted between August 25 and December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations, while the second phase, from January 5 to April 17, 2026, recorded 4,121,835.
The third phase, conducted between May 11 and July 26, 2026, recorded 3,867,997 registrations.
Following biometric cleanup and other processes, INEC said Nigeria’s national register now contains more than 103 million voters.
Amupitan also disclosed that the commission had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices ahead of the elections.
He said INEC was strengthening its result-management system through the enhanced eEC8A platform, designed to digitise polling-unit result sheets, authenticate them and transmit them to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
On security, the chairman said personnel in some states affected by insecurity had requested additional protective measures, including bulletproof vests and vehicles.
He said the commission was considering appropriate security arrangements for personnel operating in high-risk areas while continuing nationwide readiness assessments covering facilities, logistics, storage and security procedures.
Amupitan further said INEC had introduced the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure, while operational overhead allocations to state offices were increased by 150 per cent from July 1, 2026.
The commission said the measures form part of preparations aimed at strengthening its operational capacity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
