Nigeria’s Democracy Must Not Bleed Again!

The growing attacks on political actors ahead of the 2027 elections demand more than official warnings. INEC and security agencies must ensure that perpetrators of electoral violence, including their sponsors, face prosecution.

Nigeria is approaching the 2027 general elections under an increasingly disturbing cloud of political intolerance, insecurity and public anxiety.

What should be a season of democratic engagement, policy debates and peaceful competition is gradually being overshadowed by attacks on political actors, intimidation of supporters and destruction of campaign property.

The warning signs are becoming difficult to ignore. The reported attacks involving Peter Obi in Cross River, Atiku Abubakar in Kebbi and Omoyele Sowore in Ekiti are particularly troubling. Obi’s convoy was attacked in Calabar on November 4, resulting in damaged vehicles and the arrest of a suspect. A day later, Atiku’s campaign team reported an attack on its convoy in Kebbi, alleging that suspected political thugs destroyed cameras and other equipment belonging to its media crew. Earlier, Sowore and members of his team were attacked in Ado-Ekiti, where the police subsequently announced the arrest of 11 suspects.

Amnesty International’s November 7 condemnation of the Kebbi incident, following its examination of video footage, further underscores the seriousness of the situation. The organisation called for investigation, accountability and protection for political actors and journalists.

These incidents must not be dismissed as ordinary political disagreements. Although allegations of sponsorship must be independently established, the pattern raises fundamental questions about the safety of democratic participation.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, has acknowledged the dangers. On November 6, he disclosed that intelligence gathering had helped uncover and foil an alleged plot to kidnap, intimidate and harass NYSC members recruited as election personnel. Suspects were reportedly arrested and charged to court by the Department of State Services.

INEC has also introduced the ICCES Tentacle framework to strengthen intelligence-led security coordination down to local government areas and Registration Area Centres. The Commission has identified insecurity and misinformation as major threats to the 2027 elections.

These initiatives are welcome. However, INEC must move beyond warnings and security arrangements to make the investigation and prosecution of electoral violence a priority.

Arrests must not become the final destination of investigations. Those who physically attack political opponents must face the law, but equal attention must be given to identifying those who recruit, finance, arm and sponsor political thugs. It is not enough to arrest the foot soldiers while the masterminds remain untouched.

INEC should work closely with the police, the DSS and prosecuting authorities to establish a transparent mechanism for monitoring reported incidents, investigations and prosecutions.

Nigerians deserve regular updates on cases arising from electoral violence and assurances that political influence will not obstruct justice.

The police must equally demonstrate impartiality. Every political party and candidate, regardless of political affiliation or status, deserves equal protection.

Investigations into the Calabar, Kebbi and Ado-Ekiti incidents must be thorough, professional and free from political interference. No one should be presumed guilty without evidence, but neither should influential individuals enjoy immunity when credible evidence implicates them.

Prevention must also begin well before election day. Security agencies should work with traditional rulers, community leaders and civil society organisations to identify potential flashpoints.

Campaign venues, party offices, electoral facilities, collation centres and routes for transporting election materials require appropriate protection. The country’s existing security challenges make intelligence-driven deployment and effective coordination indispensable.

Political parties and candidates must also honour the National Peace Accord they signed. Such agreements should not be ceremonial exercises designed for media attention.

Candidates must condemn violence consistently, restrain their supporters and reject inflammatory rhetoric. The National Peace Committee should monitor compliance and publicly demand accountability for violations.

Security planning must extend beyond voting to collation, declaration of results and post-election disputes. Political parties must pursue grievances through lawful institutions rather than encourage street violence.

Nigeria has suffered enough from electoral violence. The country cannot afford another election in which political ambition takes precedence over human life.

The 2027 elections must be about competing ideas, policies and leadership, not intimidation, destruction and bloodshed.

This newspaper has warned before that politics is not war. It bears repeating because too many actors still behave as if it is. No office — not the presidency, not a governorship, not a council seat — is worth a single Nigerian life.

What makes this cycle more dangerous is that it is unfolding on top of an already overstretched security architecture. Banditry in the North-West, insurgency in the North-East, kidnapping and communal conflict in the North-Central, separatist-linked insecurity in the South-East, and violent political rivalry in competitive states in the South-South and elsewhere have left security agencies fighting on too many fronts. An election conducted in fear is not a credible election, however clean the result sheets look.

Security agencies must protect all citizens equally, while political leaders must prove that their commitment to democracy extends beyond winning political office.

Ultimately, Nigerians across the states and regions must be able to vote for their preferred candidates and return home safely.

Nigeria’s democracy must not bleed again.

Electoral violence must not merely be condemned; it must be investigated, prosecuted and punished.