2027 Campaigns: INEC Warns Politicians Of Jail Term, Fine

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that politicians and political parties who engage in abusive campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections risk possible jail terms or fines.

This was made known by the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, in a telephone interview with Vanguard on Sunday.

He said any party or politician found guilty of abusive, intemperate or inflammatory language in their campaigns risks heavy financial penalties and possible imprisonment under the Electoral Act 2026.

Naija News reports that he urged politicians to avoid coercion, hate speech, and threats of harm in their campaigns.

“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.

Quoting the law directly, Oketola said, “A political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.”

He added that the law further provides that “abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language, insinuations, innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns.”

Oketola explained further that campaign rhetoric could be interpreted as outright intimidation when it threatens force or violence, whether by directly or indirectly warning voters, candidates, or electoral officials of physical harm, economic reprisal, or social ostracisation to compel or suppress support for a candidate. He stressed that political campaigns must also not create an atmosphere of fear calculated to deter voter turnout or disenfranchise specific demographics.

While clarifying that INEC is not a security agency, Oketola explained that the Commission is an election management body and not a security agency, but explained that Section 95 of the Electoral Act 2026 explicitly prescribes the security architecture for political rallies in relation to the operational roles of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other security institutions.

“Beyond inter-agency security coordination, INEC is statutorily empowered to monitor political campaigns and enforce compliance with the Code of Conduct for Political Parties. The Commission can issue formal queries and sanction non-compliant parties within its administrative limits,” he said.

Oketola disclosed that to enforce deterrence, Section 96(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 prescribes severe statutory penalties for offenders.

“Any candidate who commits these offences is liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of ₦5,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months.

“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.

He, however, appealed for collective action in curbing electoral violence, stressing that INEC can’t do it alone.

“The Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies have a clear duty to prevent the breakdown of law and order during political campaigns,” Oketola said.

He highlighted that campaigns should be about ideas, not fights, and called on security agencies, the media, and traditional and religious leaders to work together.

“Political campaigns should be platforms of competing ideas, not theatres of war,” Oketola said.