The Electoral Support Initiative (ESI) Hub has documented 109 alleged violations of the National Peace Accord and provisions of the Electoral Act across 27 states, raising concerns over political violence, intimidation, restrictions on campaign activities and the growing spread of disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The findings, presented by the Research Manager of ESI Hub, Fatai Yusuf, at a dialogue with media executives in Abuja on Friday, October 30, 2026, highlighted emerging threats to peaceful political participation, information integrity and public confidence in the electoral process.
Yusuf said the monitoring exercise, which covered a period of 10 weeks, revealed a pattern of incidents ranging from attacks on political activities and threats against opponents to the circulation of fabricated information and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.
He disclosed that 52 per cent of the recorded incidents did not involve physical attacks, but included threats, intimidation and other forms of conduct capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
According to him, political violence and obstruction of campaign activities accounted for a significant proportion of the violations, while social media had become an increasingly important channel for the circulation of misleading political narratives.
He warned that the growing sophistication of artificial intelligence was making it easier for individuals to produce fabricated photographs, manipulate videos and circulate false information with the appearance of credibility.
Yusuf expressed concern that such material could influence public perceptions and deepen religious and ethnic divisions, particularly among citizens who might not have the digital skills required to distinguish authentic information from fabricated content.
He also identified attacks on campaign rallies, political meetings and door-to-door mobilisation, alongside the destruction of campaign materials, as incidents requiring closer monitoring.
The researcher raised concerns about alleged attempts by some political actors and public officials to intimidate citizens over their political choices, including reported threats against civil servants and individuals unwilling to support particular parties.
He further cited instances of religious and ethnic rhetoric being deployed to influence voting decisions, including alleged attempts to discourage support for candidates on religious grounds.
On the political environment, Yusuf warned against restrictions on opposition parties’ access to campaign venues and public spaces, arguing that unequal access could undermine the principle of political participation.
He recalled observations from previous political engagements in Ekiti State, where campaign materials belonging to the ruling party were more visible than those of opposition parties, expressing concern that similar practices could emerge elsewhere ahead of the 2027 elections.
He maintained that political campaigns should be centred on policy proposals, party manifestos and practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges rather than personal attacks, threats and inflammatory exchanges.
Yusuf identified campaign access, voter mobilisation, information disorder and institutional credibility as major areas requiring attention as political activities gather momentum.
He called on political parties to take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters by publicly condemning violence and intimidation, while urging security agencies to protect citizens and political participants and ensure that reported violations were properly investigated.
He also challenged journalists to strengthen fact-checking, verify political claims and follow up on reported violations, particularly cases referred to law enforcement agencies and the courts.
Peace Accord requires collective responsibility
The Executive Director of the Kukah Centre, Fr. Atta Barkindo, said the National Peace Accord should not be regarded as the personal business of political candidates or the responsibility of any single institution, but a collective national commitment requiring the participation of all stakeholders.
Barkindo emphasised that the success of the accord depended on the willingness of political actors, media organisations, security agencies, civil society groups and citizens to take ownership of its commitments.
He stressed that the process must go beyond the formal signing of the agreement to ensure that its principles translated into responsible political conduct and peaceful electoral engagement.
His position underscored the need for sustained public scrutiny of political actors and the involvement of citizens and institutions in ensuring that commitments to peaceful elections were respected.
The Kukah Centre executive director maintained that the responsibility for promoting electoral peace should not be left solely to political candidates or the organisations facilitating the agreement.
CEMESO seeks stronger media accountability
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Dr. Akin Akingbulu, challenged media organisations to take a more deliberate role in monitoring compliance with the National Peace Accord and holding political actors accountable for their commitments ahead of the 2027 elections.
Akingbulu said the media’s responsibility should extend beyond reporting the signing of the accord to consistently tracking political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to establish whether their commitments were being honoured.
He noted that while presidential candidates and political party leaders had signed the agreement, the more pressing question was how those commitments would be sustained between the signing and the conduct of the elections.
He urged media executives to incorporate peace accord monitoring into their existing editorial programmes, including television and radio discussions, newspaper reports, online publications and fact-checking initiatives.
According to him, established media platforms could be adapted to interrogate political conduct, promote accountability and sustain public attention on the commitments made by political actors.
He challenged media executives to identify programmes capable of holding politicians accountable for their public statements and commitments, while making electoral peace a consistent part of their editorial agenda.
Akingbulu also advocated stronger collaboration among media organisations, particularly in information verification and the sharing of credible election-related information.
He raised concerns about the cost of verification, proposing that newsrooms explore a shared verification platform to improve efficiency, reduce duplication of efforts and strengthen the credibility of election reporting.
He urged media executives to consider whether their organisations would be willing to contribute to and use a common verification system, as well as establish the standards required to make such a platform credible and trustworthy.
On election results, Akingbulu drew a distinction between the independent collection and collation of polling-unit results by political parties, observers and other interested groups and the formal declaration of results, which he said remained the responsibility of the legally authorised electoral body.
He argued that political parties and observers should be able to collate results obtained from polling units where they had representatives, but cautioned against making independent declarations of election results.
He maintained that the media must exercise caution when reporting unofficial tallies, particularly where figures compiled by political parties and independent observers differ from those eventually declared by the electoral commission.
The CEMESO director also expressed concern about the growing use of artificial intelligence to produce fabricated election-related images and misleading political content, urging newsrooms to strengthen internal verification procedures before publication.
He cautioned against media polarisation, stressing that editorial independence and adherence to professional standards were essential to responsible election coverage, particularly in an environment where media organisations could face pressure from political interests.
He urged journalists to resist undue influence and ensure that their platforms were not used to promote misinformation or deepen political divisions.
The dialogue, organised by the Kukah Centre in collaboration with IPC and CEMESO, brought together media executives and other stakeholders to examine practical approaches to monitoring compliance with the National Peace Accord, reporting violations and strengthening electoral accountability.
The engagement focused on the role of the media in ensuring that political commitments were not merely documented at the point of signing but remained subject to public scrutiny throughout the electoral cycle.
It also highlighted the need for sustained collaboration among political parties, the media, security agencies, civil society organisations and electoral institutions to protect political participation and promote peaceful, credible elections in 2027.
