2027: RULAAC urges Tinubu, INEC, security agencies to act against election violence
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to take immediate steps to prevent political violence and intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
RULAAC, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said recent incidents and allegations across several states were warning signs that should not be ignored until election day.
The organisation cited reports of inflammatory political rhetoric, disruption of opposition meetings, restrictions on the movement of political actors, alleged discriminatory interference with campaign materials and threats of physical violence against political opponents.
It stressed, however, that the allegations were not identical and should be independently investigated.
“Election security begins before election day,” RULAAC said, warning that credible elections could not be secured merely by deploying security personnel to polling units after months of threats, intimidation and political violence.
The organisation urged President Tinubu to publicly reaffirm the neutrality of state institutions and make it clear that no governor, minister, local government chairman, party official, candidate or political supporter would be shielded from investigation or prosecution where credible evidence of electoral offences exists.
RULAAC also called on the police and other security agencies to identify emerging political violence hotspots, investigate credible threats, trace illegal weapons and dismantle groups allegedly being mobilised to intimidate political opponents.
According to the group, peace meetings and dialogue could help prevent violence but should not be used as substitutes for criminal investigations where conduct may constitute an offence.
It further urged security agencies to apply the principle of political neutrality in election policing, stressing that government and opposition candidates, rallies and supporters must receive equal protection under the law.
“Security agencies must never become instruments for restricting lawful political competition,” it said.
The group also called on INEC to strengthen its monitoring and early-warning mechanisms by systematically documenting incidents that could undermine free political competition and referring suspected offences to the appropriate investigative authorities.
RULAAC said investigations into electoral violence should extend beyond suspected foot soldiers to those who recruit, finance, arm or direct them.
“Arresting suspected foot soldiers without investigating those who recruit, finance, arm or direct them will not dismantle the structures that sustain electoral violence,” the organisation said.
It also urged political parties to abide by their commitments under the National Peace Accord signed on August 18, 2026, saying the agreement must not become a ceremonial document.
RULAAC recalled INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan’s call for the 2027 campaign to become a “marketplace of ideas” rather than a “theatre of war.”
It said the aspiration could only be achieved if citizens and candidates were free to campaign, assemble, associate and move throughout the country without intimidation.
The organisation proposed 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.
It said such a mechanism should identify emerging threats, track institutional responses and ensure that credible reports of political violence did not disappear into bureaucratic processes.
RULAAC called for particular attention to areas already experiencing insecurity, including the Southeast, urging authorities to adopt intelligence-led, proportionate and community-sensitive security measures.
It cautioned against treating entire communities as security threats and warned that excessive security deployments could themselves become a source of voter intimidation.
The organisation also urged security agencies to provide adequate welfare, training, identification and clear rules of engagement for personnel deployed for electoral duties.
According to RULAAC, poorly supported or inadequately supervised security personnel could become vulnerable to political influence, inducement or misconduct.
It said President Tinubu’s public commitments to peaceful campaigning and rejection of violence and incitement should now be demonstrated through the impartial conduct of state institutions.
RULAAC said the effectiveness of Nigeria’s electoral institutions would ultimately be tested 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 asked whether citizens could attend political meetings without fear, whether campaign materials could be displayed under the same rules regardless of political affiliation, and whether politically connected individuals could be investigated with the same diligence applied to ordinary citizens.
“These are the practical tests of institutional neutrality,” the organisation said.
RULAAC warned that Nigeria must not wait for fatalities, mass violence or widespread disruption before responding to emerging threats.
“The security of the 2027 elections is being determined now,” it said, urging President Tinubu, INEC, the Inspector-General of Police, the DSS and other relevant institutions to act early, transparently and impartially.
The organisation maintained that individuals who threaten, organise, finance or perpetrate political violence should not be protected by political affiliation.
“Peace accords are important. But peace accords cannot substitute for law enforcement,” RULAAC said.
It added that state institutions must demonstrate through their actions that Nigeria’s political space belongs equally to all citizens and that no street, community, local government or state should become a no-go area for lawful political activity.
