The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), European Union (EU) and Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have called for urgent measures to protect civic and political spaces, safeguard fundamental human rights and prevent electoral violence ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The call was made on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening of the 2026 Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders Forum on the State of Human Rights, organised by the NHRC with the support of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria.
Declaring the forum, themed, “Protecting Human Rights in Civic and Political Spaces in the 2027 Elections”, open, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr Anthony Ojukwu, SAN, warned that Nigeria’s democracy could be undermined if citizens, journalists, civil society organisations and human rights defenders were unable to exercise their fundamental freedoms without intimidation or harassment.
Ojukwu said, the Commission remains concerned about reports of harassment, arbitrary arrests, political and voter intimidation, hate speech, incitement and the alleged misuse of laws, including the Cybercrimes Act, to restrict legitimate civic engagement.
He said human rights defenders and civil society organisations were indispensable partners in strengthening democratic accountability and should not be treated as adversaries by state institutions.
The NHRC boss also renewed the Commission’s call for the establishment of a dedicated Electoral Offences Commission in line with the recommendations of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee.
In his remarks, the European Union Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot said, the EU’s partnership with the NHRC, which began in 2024, had evolved into an important platform for assessing the human rights situation in Nigeria, strengthening dialogue and developing collective responses to emerging challenges.
He noted that free civic and political spaces, including independent media, public forums, peaceful assemblies and civil society organisations, were essential to ensuring transparent, credible and inclusive elections.
He warned that weakening these spaces would undermine citizens’ participation in elections and erode public confidence in democratic institutions.
The EU Ambassador reaffirmed the commitment of the European Union and its member states to supporting Nigeria’s democratic institutions and legitimate stakeholders, stressing that the partnership was not intended to interfere in the country’s electoral process.
“Our objective is not to interfere in the elections but support legitimate Nigerian stakeholders to fully play their roles in order to contribute to a free, fair and credible electoral process,” Mignot said.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Alhaji Yusuf Dantale, called for stronger constitutional protection of fundamental freedoms and greater accountability for human rights violations and electoral offences.
In a message delivered at the event, Dantale expressed concern over insecurity, killings, kidnappings, displacement of communities and other abuses.
He condemned intimidation, arbitrary detention, excessive use of force and unlawful restrictions against citizens exercising their legitimate rights.
The IPAC chairman also cautioned against the misuse of cybercrime and cyberstalking laws to suppress legitimate public criticism and civic engagement.
On the 2027 elections, he warned that political violence, hate speech, vote buying and the activities of political thugs remained significant threats to Nigeria’s democratic development.
He maintained that credible elections could not be measured solely by events on polling day, insisting that the entire electoral process, from campaigns and voter mobilisation to voting, collation and declaration of results, must be peaceful and transparent.
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