Nigeria is edging into a dangerous 2027 election season as hate speech, threats and attacks against opposition figures and supporters intensify, raising fears that the growing political temperature could degenerate into violence ahead of the polls.
Although President Bola Tinubu has recently toned down his rhetoric and appealed for a peaceful contest, inflammatory statements and threats attributed to some key stalwarts of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued to deepen concerns over the safety of opposition parties and the credibility of the electoral process.
The increasingly hostile political environment, analysts say, points to a widening gap between the President’s public call for peace and the conduct of some party loyalists, with the opposition alleging that threats and intimidation are being deployed to weaken rivals ahead of the 2027 elections.
From Osun to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Borno, Ebonyi and others, comments attributed to senior APC figures and public officials have featured threats, intimidation and language capable of deepening political tensions.
Although some of the individuals involved have subsequently retracted, clarified or apologised for their remarks, analysts and civil society organisations say the damage caused by such statements cannot simply be erased by subsequent explanations.
The concerns first became prominent in August when Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East, was captured in a viral video allegedly directing APC supporters to kill members of the rival Accord ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
‘From now on, whenever you see Accord members, kill them. I authorise you to kill them. They have wives and children too,’ Fadahunsi was heard saying in the video.
Following widespread outrage and a police invitation, however, the senator said his remarks had been taken out of context, insisting that he meant supporters should ‘kill’ Accord with votes rather than violence. His media office described the statement as a call to reject Accord ‘at the ballot box through lawful, peaceful and democratic means.’
Danjuma Shekwolo, the Kuje Area Council Chairman, subsequently triggered another controversy when he warned residents that they either had to support the APC or leave the council. ‘I have said in my area council, it’s either you are doing APC or leave the area council. It’s either you are with us, or you are out,’ Shekwolo said in the viral video.
The statement provoked condemnation from Amnesty International and Yiaga Africa, which warned that political affiliation could not be made a condition for residence or enjoyment of fundamental rights.
Shekwolo later backed away from the apparent threat, saying his remarks had been made at a meeting with APC youths and loyalists and had been taken out of context.
‘And as the Executive Chairman of Kuje Area Council, I have no right to disenfranchise any resident or citizen of their fundamental human rights in the council,’ he said.
But before the controversy could fully subside, Sainna Buba, Borno Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Poverty Alleviation, was caught in another political storm.
Buba warned opponents of the Borno government that resistance would attract retaliation. ‘Whoever shows us a finger, we will show him a finger. Whoever dares to show us a finger again, we will break his finger,’ he said, adding that those who refused to support the APC would be ‘flogged.’
The commissioner has since apologised and formally retracted the statement, saying it was not intended to violate citizens’ constitutional rights or be taken literally.
‘However, in view of the concern it has continued to generate, I am using this medium to retract my earlier statement formally and to apologise to the entire people of Borno State and beyond for any offence it may have caused,’ Buba said. He also stressed that the comment did not represent the ideals of the APC or the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum.
The latest controversy came from Francis Nwifuru, Ebonyi State governor, who told newly inaugurated local government chairmen that failure to deliver their councils to the APC in 2027 could cost them their positions.
‘Any chairman who fails to win his council will be removed from office and replaced with a councillor. I want this information to be on the headlines of newspapers because, as politicians, we would not speak in secret,’ he said.
In another reported remark, Nwifuru urged the chairmen to ‘deal with opposition parties mercilessly.’ The chairman of Ohaukwu LGA, Eze Paul Ituma, then appeared to take the governor’s political charge further, warning opposition parties and their supporters against political activities in the council.
‘Anyone who dares to do so will be declared persona non grata. This is the time for politics. I don’t have a shop at the International Market; politics is my business. Anyone who wants to put sand in my garri should not come close to Ohaukwu,’ Ituma said.
Taken together, analysts say the incidents raise a fundamental question about how effective a national peace accord will be when inflammatory political language continues to emerge from officials and party actors at the grassroots.
Pundits say the concern is particularly significant because President Tinubu himself had earlier adopted a much more combative tone.
In April, while speaking with Plateau stakeholders, Tinubu described himself as a ‘very stubborn politician’ who would not be forced out of office. ‘But I’m a very stubborn politician. I just refuse to go. And I will campaign for my second term,’ he said.
In July, the President again warned his political opponents that he would not surrender easily. ‘I won’t offer them the leash to tie me and rope me. No, we wrestle each other to the finishing point,’ Tinubu told Catholic bishops at the State House.
The language prompted criticism from opposition figures who argued that the presidency should not frame an election as a political battle to the finish.
Yet, barely weeks later, Tinubu significantly changed his tone. At the signing of the 2027 election peace accord on August 18, the President warned political actors against turning ethnicity and religion into instruments of electoral mobilisation.
‘We must never resort to divisive and primordial sentiments of ethnicity or religion as tools for seeking power,’ he said.
Tinubu also declared that the APC rejected violence, hate speech, misinformation and incitement, adding, ‘Let us remember that elections are not a do-or-die affair. We are partners in the project of nation-building. Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner.’
Observers say that represents a significant rhetorical U-turn. But the challenge is translating the President’s words into discipline among party members and political appointees.
Amnesty International described the Fadahunsi controversy as a serious test of accountability, saying political differences must never justify violence. The organisation called for a prompt investigation and said it would pursue a ‘name-and-shame’ campaign against politicians advocating violence.
Yiaga Africa similarly condemned the Kuje remarks as ‘irresponsible, inflammatory and highly condemnable,’ warning that no public official should threaten a citizen’s right to live in a community because of political choice. It said the peace accord must be reflected in the conduct and rhetoric of political leaders, not merely in signatures.
Police wades in
The police have also moved beyond mere condemnation. The Nigeria Police Force says it is investigating alleged inciting comments by Fadahunsi, Shekwolo and Buba.
Ani Iniedu, Police spokesperson, said incitement, particularly in relation to the electoral process, is a criminal offence. ‘The law is very clear when it comes to inciting. It is criminal to incite members of the public, especially as you comment on the electoral process,’ Iniedu said.
He added that the police ‘will not shy away from this responsibility, no matter whose ox is gored.’
With campaigns now on, opposition parties warn that the combination of threatening rhetoric, alleged intimidation, restrictions on campaign visibility and rising costs of political advertising could narrow the democratic space and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
The implications for 2027
Analysts say retractions may reduce immediate tension, but they do not necessarily remove the fear created among opposition supporters.
Jackson Ojo, political analyst, told BusinessDay that repeated threats from different parts of the country could normalise intimidation as an instrument of electoral competition and create room for violence.1
‘If such rhetoric is allowed to continue unchecked, the danger is that the 2027 contest could move from a battle of ideas to physical violence. Tinubu’s peace message provides an important national framework, but its credibility will ultimately depend on enforcement,’ he said.
Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has flayed the APC for allegedly weakening the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that the growing pattern of threats and intimidation could push Nigeria towards political violence.
Abdullahi said the alleged failure of authorities to sanction politicians making inflammatory and threatening statements was creating a dangerous precedent and encouraging others to follow suit.
The ADC spokesman argued that the incidents should not be viewed in isolation, alleging that they formed part of a broader strategy to intimidate opposition parties and supporters as the 2027 contest gathers momentum.
Abdullahi also challenged President Bola Tinubu to explain his earlier comment that ‘all is fair in politics,’ saying the statement required clarification in view of the alleged threats and intimidation being witnessed ahead of the elections.
Similarly, Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre, condemned the inflammatory remarks by some APC chieftains as totally undemocratic, uncouth, and uncalled for.
‘Political parties recently signed a national peace accord pledging to embrace issue-focused campaigns. They need to act according to the commitment,’ he said.