The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fired a stern warning to politicians and political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that abusive, inflammatory and threatening campaign rhetoric could trigger hefty fines and jail terms.
The warning comes as political activities gather momentum ahead of the polls, with INEC cautioning candidates and parties against language capable of provoking violence, fuelling ethnic or religious hostility, or intimidating voters.
According to Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, campaign rhetoric crosses the legal line when it moves beyond legitimate political criticism and enters the territory of coercion, hate speech, threats or incitement.
“Under the Nigerian legal framework, rhetoric becomes punishable intimidation when it incites ethnic, religious, or regional hostility through abusive, base, or slanderous language explicitly designed to provoke violent emotions or target specific groups,” Oketola said in a telephone interview, citing Section 96 of the Electoral Act 2026.
The law, he explained, prohibits campaign messages capable of injuring religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional sentiments.
It also bars the use of “abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language” as well as insinuations and innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reactions or emotions during political campaigns.
THREATS, FEAR AND VOTER INTIMIDATION
Oketola said the offence becomes even more serious when campaign rhetoric is used to threaten force or violence.
Such threats, he explained, may include direct or indirect warnings of physical harm, economic retaliation or social exclusion aimed at forcing voters, candidates or electoral officials to support or abandon a particular political position.
Campaigns must also not create an atmosphere of fear designed to discourage people from voting or deliberately disenfranchise particular groups.
While INEC is not a security agency, Oketola said the Electoral Act provides a security framework for political rallies involving the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies.
He added that INEC has powers to monitor political campaigns and enforce compliance with the Code of Conduct for Political Parties.
The Commission, he said, can issue formal queries and impose sanctions on parties that breach the rules within its administrative powers.
₦10M FINE OR 12 MONTHS IN JAIL
Oketola said the penalties prescribed under Section 96(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 are significant.
According to him, a candidate convicted of the offences faces a maximum fine of ₦5 million or up to 12 months in prison.
Political parties face even heavier financial penalties.
“A non-compliant political party is liable to a fine of ₦10,000,000 in the first instance, and ₦2,000,000 for each subsequent offence,” he stated.
INEC, however, stressed that protecting the credibility of the 2027 elections is not solely its responsibility.
Oketola described electoral integrity as a collective duty involving political parties, candidates, security agencies, the media, civil society and voters.
With the political temperature expected to rise as the 2027 elections draw closer, INEC's message is clear: campaign hard, but stay within the law—or face the consequences.
2027: INEC Threatens ₦10m Fine, Jail Over Abusive Campaigns
