A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye, has condemned the “Rig and Die” slogan, describing it as undemocratic and a threat to the democratic process.
Naija News reports that Okoye, who formerly chaired INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, said no one had the right to use force against another person over alleged electoral offences.
He spoke on Arise News on Tuesday evening.
The former INEC commissioner said anyone suspected of electoral malpractice should be reported to security agencies rather than attacked.
“So I think that in our circumstances, no individual, even under Section 132 of the Electoral Act, is permitted to treat anybody with the use of force or violence.
“If you believe that anybody has committed an offence during an election period or during an election, your responsibility is to report the person to the lawful security agencies and for them to take action, but not to incite people to take the law into their own hands; that is self-help, and self-help is not permitted in a democratic system,” he said.
The slogan, widely seen as a warning against manipulating election results, gained renewed attention in October 2026 after former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, made the statement at a campaign event in Delta State.
Omo-Agege had warned that anyone caught rigging the 2027 elections would face deadly consequences.
“Anybody who rigs the election on that day, we will kill him! If you don’t value your life, come and rig the election. It is rig and die,” he had said.
