The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has warned of emerging signs of political violence, intimidation and threats ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to act before the situation escalates.
RULAAC, in a statement issued on Monday, October 5, 2026, said recent incidents and allegations across several states showed warning signs that should not be ignored until election day.
The organisation listed inflammatory and threatening political rhetoric, disruption of opposition meetings, obstruction of political actors’ movement, alleged discriminatory interference with campaign materials and threats of physical violence against political opponents among the concerns.
It, however, stressed that the allegations were not identical and should be independently investigated.
“Taken together, they underline the need for early institutional intervention,” RULAAC said.
According to the organisation, election security must begin long before election day, warning that deploying security personnel to polling units would not address months of threats, intimidation and violence that could already have restricted political participation.
RULAAC noted that the Electoral Act prohibits the organisation or equipping of groups for the use of force or coercion for political purposes, as well as threats of force or violence intended to compel citizens to support or reject political parties or candidates.
It called for the provisions to be enforced without regard to political affiliation.
The organisation urged President Tinubu to publicly direct government institutions to remain neutral and ensure that governors, ministers, local government chairmen, party officials, candidates and political supporters are not shielded from investigation or prosecution where credible evidence of electoral violence, threats or intimidation exists.
RULAAC also called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to investigate credible threats before they develop into violence.
It urged police commands to identify emerging electoral hotspots, investigate threats and attacks, identify sponsors and organisers of political violence, trace illegal weapons and dismantle groups allegedly being mobilised to intimidate political opponents.
“Dialogue and peace meetings can be useful preventive measures, but they must not replace criminal investigation where conduct may constitute an offence,” it said.
RULAAC further demanded political neutrality in election policing, insisting that security agencies must protect both government and opposition candidates, rallies and supporters equally.
It said security agencies must not become instruments for restricting lawful political competition.
The organisation also urged INEC to strengthen its monitoring and early-warning responsibilities by systematically documenting incidents capable of undermining free political competition and referring suspected offences to appropriate investigative authorities.
RULAAC warned that merely arresting alleged foot soldiers would not dismantle structures responsible for electoral violence.
“Investigations must follow the chain of responsibility wherever the evidence leads,” it said, stressing that those who recruit, finance, arm or direct perpetrators must also be investigated.
The group also urged political parties to honour their commitments under the National Peace Accord signed on August 18, 2026.
It recalled INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan’s call for the 2027 campaign to become a “marketplace of ideas” rather than a “theatre of war.”
RULAAC said such an aspiration could only become meaningful if citizens and candidates were genuinely free to campaign, associate, assemble and move across the country without intimidation.
It called for the establishment of a coordinated national electoral early-warning and response mechanism involving INEC, the police, DSS, civil society organisations, election observers and community-based networks.
According to RULAAC, the mechanism should identify emerging threats, track institutional responses and ensure that credible reports do not disappear into bureaucratic silence.
The organisation called for special attention to areas already experiencing insecurity, including the Southeast, but cautioned that election-security measures must be intelligence-led, proportionate and sensitive to local communities.
“Entire communities must not be treated as security threats, nor should excessive security deployments themselves become a source of voter intimidation,” it said.
RULAAC also urged security agencies to provide adequate welfare, training, identification and clear rules of engagement for personnel deployed for electoral duties.
It warned that poorly supported or inadequately supervised officers could become vulnerable to political influence, inducement or misconduct.
The organisation said the effectiveness of Nigeria’s electoral security would ultimately be measured by whether opposition candidates could campaign in states controlled by rival parties with the same protection of the law enjoyed by governing-party candidates.
It also questioned whether citizens could attend political meetings without fear, display campaign materials under equal rules and have allegations against politically connected individuals investigated with the same diligence applied to ordinary citizens.
“These are the practical tests of institutional neutrality,” RULAAC said.
The organisation warned that Nigeria must not wait for fatalities, mass violence or widespread disruption before responding to the emerging threats.
“The warning signs must be treated as opportunities for prevention,” it said.
RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the security of the 2027 elections was already being determined, urging President Tinubu, INEC, the Inspector-General of Police, DSS and other relevant institutions to act early, transparently and impartially.
“Those who threaten, organise, finance or perpetrate political violence must know that political affiliation will neither shield them from investigation nor place them above the law,” RULAAC said.
The organisation added: “Peace accords are important. But peace accords cannot substitute for law enforcement.”
It urged Nigerian institutions to demonstrate that the political space belongs equally to all citizens and that no street, community, local government or state could be turned into a no-go area for lawful political activity.
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