2027: INEC Threatens ₦10m Fine, 12-Month Jail Term For Abusive Campaigns
Nigeria's electoral commission, INEC, has warned that politicians using abusive or inflammatory language in the 2027 election cycle face heavy fines and potential jail time. The commission aims to curb rhetoric that incites violence or targets specific ethnic and religious groups.
Why it matters
This reflects efforts to maintain stability and prevent electoral violence in a complex political landscape through strict legal enforcement.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned politicians and political parties against using abusive, intemperate or inflammatory language in their campaigns ahead of the 2027 general election, saying offenders risk heavy fines and possible imprisonment under the Electoral Act 2026.
The Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, in a telephone interview, said campaign rhetoric crosses the legal threshold into electoral intimidation the moment it moves beyond robust partisan debate or policy critique and enters the realm of coercion, hate speech or the threat of harm.
“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, citing Section 96 of the Electoral Act 2026.
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