Attacks on Voters, Journalists, Electoral Impunity Threaten 2027 Elections — NHRC

By Emmanuel Kwada

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has warned that shrinking civic space, electoral violence and impunity for election-related offences could undermine Nigeria’s 2027 general elections if urgent measures are not taken to address the threats.

The Commission said harassment of journalists, arbitrary arrests, voter intimidation and restrictions on civil society organisations were raising concerns about the protection of fundamental rights ahead of the polls.

The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr Anthony Ojukwu, raised the concerns on Wednesday at the 2026 Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders Forum on the State of Human Rights in Abuja.

Protecting Human Rights in Civic and Political Spaces in the 2027 Elections.

The forum, organised by the Commission with support from the European Union, was themed “Protecting Human Rights in Civic and Political Spaces in the 2027 Elections.”

Ojukwu identified the misuse of laws, including provisions of the Cybercrimes Act, as one of the emerging threats facing civil society organisations, journalists and human rights defenders.

He also expressed concern over political intimidation, restrictions on voters, hate speech, incitement and regulatory uncertainties surrounding digital platforms.

The NHRC boss further warned that prohibitive political nomination fees could prevent women, young people and persons with disabilities from participating fully in the electoral process.

According to him, these challenges require urgent attention to ensure that Nigerians can exercise their democratic rights without fear, discrimination or intimidation.

Providing an overview of the human rights situation, Ojukwu cited the Commission’s September 2026 Human Rights Situation Dashboard, which recorded 338,810 complaints of human rights violations across its 38 offices nationwide.

The North-Central zone recorded the highest number of complaints during the reporting period.

He disclosed that the Commission’s Human Rights Observatory also documented 208 killings and 210 kidnappings, alongside deaths in custody and cases of violence against children.

NHRC’s Human Rights Election Situation Room would operate round-the-clock throughout the election period.

During the same period, the Commission completed 2,458 investigations and conducted 113 monitoring visits to police stations, correctional centres and other detention facilities.

As part of preparations for the 2027 elections, Ojukwu announced that the NHRC’s Human Rights Election Situation Room would operate round-the-clock throughout the election period.

The Commission also plans to publish monthly human rights dashboards and bulletins, deploy monitors to identified electoral hotspots and establish legal aid partnerships to respond to reported violations.

The NHRC welcomed the recent passage of its Amendment Bill, which incorporates the Human Rights Defenders Bill, describing it as an important step towards strengthening the protection of human rights defenders.

It also renewed its call for the establishment of a dedicated Electoral Offences Commission to address electoral crimes and strengthen accountability.

Other participants at the Abuja forum included the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman and the Inter-Party Advisory Council.