NHRC Urges Parties to Shun Hate Speech Ahead of 2027 Elections

…Commission demands level playing field, protection of voters, journalists and observers

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to reject hate speech, ethnic profiling, vote-buying and other conduct capable of undermining Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Commission also urged the Federal Government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to guarantee a level playing field for all political actors and protect voters, journalists, election observers, human rights defenders and other citizens throughout the electoral process.

The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu, made the call in a statement issued by the Director of Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, Fatimah Agwai Mohammed, to mark the 2026 International Day of Democracy.

Ojukwu said the annual commemoration should serve as a reminder that democracy extends beyond the conduct of elections to the protection of citizens’ dignity, rights and voices.

According to him, democracy guarantees the freedom to speak, choose, participate in public affairs and hold those in power accountable without fear.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the NHRC chief urged politicians and their supporters to exercise restraint in their public utterances, warning that inflammatory rhetoric could deepen divisions and threaten national unity.

He said democratic competition should be driven by debate and issues rather than hate speech, inciting statements, ethnic profiling or threats.

“Words can build peace or destroy the nation,” Ojukwu said, urging the political class to make campaigns issue-based and avoid language capable of provoking violence.

The Commission, he added, would continue to monitor hate speech and electoral violence, while urging eligible Nigerians to participate actively in the democratic process.

Ojukwu cautioned citizens against voter apathy, vote-selling and the belief that votes do not count, stressing that the Permanent Voter’s Card remained an important instrument through which Nigerians could exercise their political rights.

“Democracy dies when citizens withdraw and remain silent,” he said, describing the choice of leaders as both a right and a civic duty.

The NHRC Executive Secretary, who is also President of the Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI-WA), further called for firm action against violations capable of weakening public confidence in the electoral process.

He said anyone, regardless of status or political affiliation, who sponsors violence, vote-buying, voter suppression or attacks on democratic institutions must be promptly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

“Impunity remains the greatest threat to democracy,” he stated.

Ojukwu said Nigeria’s democratic future depended on a political environment where justice, equality and human rights were protected, insisting that democracy must deliver more than periodic elections.

He called for renewed commitment to a peaceful, inclusive and rights-respecting polity in which all citizens could participate without fear or discrimination.