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By Emmanuel Oloniruha<\/p>\n
\u00a0The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political actors against violence, intimidation and inflammatory rhetoric ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n
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INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, issued the warning on Monday in Abuja at a strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).<\/p>\n
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The workshop, organised in collaboration with INEC, was under the theme: \u2018Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Amupitan said no political office in Nigeria was worth the blood of a single citizen, warning against the use of weapons during campaigns.<\/p>\n
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He said the commission was tracking disturbing security reports, including an incident involving a candidate in Kano allegedly brandishing a firearm during a campaign.<\/p>\n
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\u201cJust before I was invited to come and speak, somebody shared with me a post of a candidate in Kano, who was campaigning yesterday with a gun in his hands.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnother person was threatening with AK-47, they will kill all of us in the commission. That is how election has turned into in Nigeria,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Amupitan said democracy thrived on the clash of ideas rather than weapons, intimidation and the proliferation of hate speech.<\/p>\n
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He said the commission, through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), had activated an early-warning framework.<\/p>\n
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The framework, he said, would track incidents of thuggery and dangerous campaign rhetoric ahead of the elections.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAny political party or candidate implicated in inciting violence, disrupting rivals\u2019 rallies, or deploying armed thugs will face direct statutory sanctions and swift prosecution.<\/p>\n
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\u201cNo political office in this country is worth the blood of a single Nigerian,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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The INEC chairman urged politicians, editors and other stakeholders to make patriotism the watchword of the electoral process.<\/p>\n
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He said Nigerians must be provided an environment where they could freely exercise their franchise based on credible and accurate information.<\/p>\n
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\u201cINEC being the institution for democracy, if INEC is destroyed, then it\u2019s like destroying democracy.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf democracy is destroyed, then we cannot be talking of development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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On vote buying, Amupitan said INEC was taking an uncompromising position against financial inducement in all its forms.<\/p>\n
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He said INEC was strengthening collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice and anti-graft agencies to track illegal campaign spending.<\/p>\n
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He added that undercover surveillance would be deployed at polling units nationwide to tackle vote buying.<\/p>\n
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\u201cTo the political actors and their agents: attempt to trade cash or material gifts for votes, and you will face immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.<\/p>\n
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\u201cElections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate\u2019s pocket,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Amupitan pledged INEC\u2019s commitment to providing a transparent, technology-driven and level playing field for credible elections in 2027 and beyond.<\/p>\n
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He said the commission would continue improving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).<\/p>\n
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The improvements, he said, would ensure that every valid vote counted and was transparently seen to count.<\/p>\n
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Amupitan also urged editors to partner with INEC in combating fake news and misinformation about the electoral process.<\/p>\n
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He recalled that a video falsely claiming National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were killed during the last FCT area council elections had been circulated.<\/p>\n
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He said the false report was intended to mislead the public and undermine confidence in the electoral process.<\/p>\n
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\u201cElectoral trust is not a legal presumption, nor is it an administrative inheritance; it is a precious public currency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Amupitan said electoral trust was earned through consistent, verifiable performance and radical transparency.<\/p>\n
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He warned that unverified rumours, operational misinterpretations and deliberate disinformation could erode institutional trust within minutes.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen public confidence in electoral processes wavers, the entire edifice of democratic governance is threatened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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He urged newsrooms to prioritise factual accuracy over sensational headlines and provide proper context when reporting electoral logistics.<\/p>\n
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The INEC chairman also called for thorough verification of information before publication, particularly during politically sensitive periods.<\/p>\n
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He proposed that the NGE leadership and INEC\u2019s communication team establish a periodic feedback mechanism leading up to 2027.<\/p>\n
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The mechanism, he said, would review operational progress, resolve emerging newsroom concerns and maintain seamless communication between the commission and editors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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