.Urges Media to call out erring politicians
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has warned that politicians and political parties who employ abusive, intemperate or inflammatory languages in their campaigns risk heavy financial penalties and possible imprisonment under the Electoral Act 2026, as the country grapples with a fresh wave of threats by political office holders against dissenting voters.
Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Mr Adedayo Oketola, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, 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.
