The latest incident occurred on Saturday in Asaba, Delta State, where an attack on a \u201cMillion Man March\u201d organised by the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) left one person dead and five others seriously injured.<\/p>\n
The procession was reportedly intercepted along Nnebisi Road by armed men wielding axes, machetes, knives and clubs. Video footage showed participants fleeing, supporters with head injuries and an angry crowd mobbing one of the suspected attackers.\n<\/p>\n
The attack adds to a series of violent incidents targeting opposition figures and campaign activities across the country ahead of the elections.\n<\/p>\n
On October 30, Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), was assaulted at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.\n<\/p>\n
Five days later, the campaign convoy of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was attacked by armed political thugs in Kebbi State.\n<\/p>\n
Amnesty International condemned the Kebbi incident, describing it as a \u201cbrutal campaign of repression\u201d aimed at denying citizens their rights to peaceful assembly and association.<\/p>\n
Earlier, campaign movements involving Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, were also attacked in Benue and Cross River states.\n<\/p>\n
Reacting to the Asaba violence, Obi said political disagreements should not result in the loss of lives.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cPolitical violence has no place in a democracy and can never be justified. No political aspiration is worth the life of a Nigerian,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
Read also:\u00a0Court ruling on ADC leadership could widen Tinubu\u2019s 2027 win margin \u2013 PIG<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n The incidents come amid warnings from election observers and civil society groups about the risks of violence as political activities intensify.<\/p>\n A report released by the International Republican Institute (IRI) in August 2026 identified political consolidation, opposition fragmentation, declining public confidence and election-related violence as major threats to the stability of the 2027 elections.\n<\/p>\n In Osun State, civil society monitors recorded more than 81 election-related violent incidents in the year preceding the August 2026 governorship election.\n<\/p>\n The assessment found that violence increased as the election day approached, warning that improvements in electoral administration would have limited impact if candidates and voters could not participate safely.\n<\/p>\n Political analysts have also expressed concern over statements by public officials threatening political opponents or demanding support for the ruling party.\n<\/p>\n In September 2026, Ebonyi State governor Francis Nwifuru warned local government chairmen that failure to deliver their councils to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 could result in their removal.<\/p>\n In the Federal Capital Territory, Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo, chairman of Kuje Area Council, reportedly instructed residents to support the ruling party or leave the area.\n<\/p>\n In Borno State, Sainna Buba, a State commissioner, threatened to flog non-supporters and break their fingers before withdrawing the remarks and issuing a public apology.\n<\/p>\n Jackson Lekan Ojo, a political analyst, said the growing incidents required urgent intervention by political parties, security agencies and electoral authorities.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a02027: Presidency urges responsible deployment of AI<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe incidents are raising concerns that there could be violence unless parties, security agencies, and electoral authorities move quickly to enforce the law and protect voters,\u201d Ojo said in an earlier interview with BusinessDay.<\/p>\n Election violence remains a persistent feature of Nigeria\u2019s electoral process, with political actors using intimidation, physical attacks and voter suppression to influence electoral outcomes.\n<\/p>\n A civil society group, a report by the Centre for Democracy Development (CDD), Votes, Violence and Validity, documented violence across the six geopolitical zones during the 2023 sub-national elections.\n<\/p>\n It found that 10.8 percent of polling units monitored recorded violence or fighting, with the North-West recording the highest incidence at 19.9 percent.\n<\/p>\n The report documented threats against voters, attacks on party agents, journalists and electoral officials, kidnapping of INEC ad-hoc staff and the destruction or seizure of election materials.\n<\/p>\n In Lagos, thugs allegedly threatened voters and attempted to influence their choices, while incidents in Zamfara involved threats of death against voters supporting the incumbent governor.<\/p>\n Beyond physical attacks, ethnic profiling, misinformation and inflammatory social media messages were used to intimidate voters and discourage participation.\n<\/p>\n The findings point to persistent weaknesses in electoral security and accountability, with political actors and their supporters implicated in several incidents.\n<\/p>\n Without credible investigations and prosecution of perpetrators and sponsors, violence risks remaining an entrenched instrument of political competition in Nigeria.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a02027: Wike projects Rivers support for Tinubu over fulfilled promises<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Nigeria\u2019s legal framework prohibits political violence, voter intimidation and the use of armed groups for political purposes.<\/p>\n Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of assembly and association, including the right to belong to a political party.\n<\/p>\n Section 227 prohibits political parties from organising, training or equipping quasi-military organisations or private militias for political purposes.\n<\/p>\n The Electoral Act also prohibits violence, threats and intimidation during political campaigns and meetings. Sections 95 and 96 regulate conduct during campaigns, while Section 120 provides penalties for disorderly conduct and incitement to violence at political meetings.\n<\/p>\n Political violence may also constitute criminal offences, including unlawful assembly, rioting, assault, grievous bodily harm, malicious damage and homicide, depending on the circumstances.\n<\/p>\n With the 2027 election cycle approaching, civil society groups and legal experts are urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to move beyond condemnations and enforce existing laws against political violence.<\/p>\n They warn that failure to protect candidates, supporters and voters could undermine participation and further weaken public confidence in the electoral process.<\/p>\n Taofeek Oyedokun is a correspondent at BusinessDay with years of experience reporting on political economy, public policy, migration, environment\/climate change,\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Obidike Okafor is an award winning, seasoned journalist and content consultant. Obidike has left his mark on the global stage,\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Source: <\/p>\n The run-up to Nigeria\u2019s 2027 general elections is already being marked by a growing wave of political violence, with attacks on opposition politicians, campaign supporters and political gatherings raising fears… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A recurring pattern<\/h3>\n
Laws against political violence<\/h3>\n
Related News<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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