The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned politicians that their ambitions are not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

The Commission vowed to arrest, sanction and prosecute parties, candidates and agents who resort to violence, hate speech or vote-buying ahead of the 2027 general election.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan gave the warning on Monday in Abuja at a strategic workshop for editors. He said the Commission would not allow political competition to turn into violence, intimidation or inflammatory rhetoric, stressing that democracy thrives on the clash of ideas, not weapons or hate speech.

Amupitan disclosed that an early-warning framework has been activated through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to track incidents of political violence, thuggery and dangerous campaign rhetoric.

He also announced a crackdown on vote-buying, with joint financial monitoring teams set to track illegal campaign spending and conduct surveillance at polling units.

On preparations for the polls, the chairman said Nigeria’s voter register now stands at over 103 million after more than 10.6 million new registrations. Nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards will begin on Friday, October 9, 2026.

The Commission has also acquired 57,000 new BVAS devices and introduced an enhanced digital result system to curb manipulation at polling units.

Amupitan noted that the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and state assembly polls will hold on February 6.

He reiterated INEC’s commitment to conducting free, fair, transparent and credible elections without favouring any candidate or party.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper