2027: Senate Demands Arrests as Reps Launch Probe Into Political Attacks Nationwide

ABUJA – The National Assembly has expressed strong opposition to the growing incidents of political violence across Nigeria, warning that attacks on political gatherings could threaten the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

The Senate has called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute those behind the attacks, while the House of Representatives has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incidents.

Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, disclosed the Senate’s position in an interview with Vanguard yesterday.

He said lawmakers were aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s appeal for peace and national harmony.

“President Bola Tinubu is preaching peace and national harmony, the National Assembly is in support of Mr President on this.

“We thus condemn in totality any act of political violence and urge the security agents to apprehend whoever is culpable in such heinous act,” Adaramodu stated.

At the House of Representatives, lawmakers adopted a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Minority Leader Fred Agbedi and 16 other members, expressing concern over attacks on political rallies, meetings and processions in different states.

One of the incidents occurred in Katsina State in October when APC supporters travelling to a campaign flag-off in Funtua were reportedly attacked along the Yashi-Funtua road.

The attack left a female party member injured and several vehicles damaged. Police authorities later confirmed the arrest of 14 suspects.

Another incident was recorded in Calabar, Cross River State, on November 4, 2026, when the convoy of NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi was attacked.

The police confirmed damage to vehicles and announced the arrest of a suspect, adding that investigations were ongoing.

In another attack, one person lost their life while five others sustained injuries during an NDC supporters’ political procession and rally along Nnebisi Road in Asaba, Delta State, on November 7, 2026.

The incidents came amid concerns raised by the National Peace Committee, which said it had documented 60 election-related cases within a month, ranging from violence to intimidation and threats.

Moving the motion during yesterday’s plenary, Agbedi condemned all forms of violence, assault, intimidation and destruction of property connected to political activities.

He maintained that such acts were unacceptable, regardless of the political party or individuals targeted.

The Minority Leader appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to avoid provocative comments, discourage violent behaviour and work with security agencies to preserve peace.

He cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guarantees citizens the freedom to assemble and associate, including the right to form or join political parties.

Agbedi further reminded lawmakers that the Constitution places the security and welfare of Nigerians at the centre of government’s responsibilities.

He argued that citizens must be protected while participating in lawful political activities.

The lawmaker also called for the use of Section 88(1) of the Constitution to empower the House to investigate the reported incidents and examine the conduct of relevant public authorities responsible for implementing the law.

In highlighting the situation, Agbedi referenced the disruption of political meetings in Enugu State on September 12, 2026.

During the incident, police reportedly confirmed that two people sustained injuries, while another person was allegedly killed.

He also recalled an attack on an APC rally in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on November 4, 2026, which reportedly left several people injured.

Agbedi warned that continued violence and intimidation surrounding political activities could trigger more casualties and damage to property.

He said the situation could also create fear among citizens, discourage participation in legitimate political activities and erode public trust in the electoral process.

Nevertheless, he cautioned against rushing to conclusions about those responsible, insisting that all allegations must be subjected to fair, thorough and evidence-based investigations.

The House subsequently established an ad-hoc committee to investigate the immediate and remote causes of politically motivated violence.

The committee, chaired by House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, has three weeks to present its report.

Other members include the Minority Leader, chairmen and deputy chairmen of the House Committees on Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence, alongside two additional representatives from the committees.

EU Rules Out Sanctions Against Nigerian Political Actors Over Electoral Violence

In a related development, the European Union has said its responsibility is to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process and support stakeholders rather than impose sanctions on political actors over reported electoral violence.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, made the clarification during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief yesterday.

He said the EU could not be expected to punish Nigerian political figures or institutions over allegations of electoral misconduct, stressing that such actions fall outside its mandate.

“I was listening to that, and I was thinking: what kind of conception of Nigerian sovereignty is that if you expect from an international partner to sanction, give punishments, give good marks, bad marks to your political and institutional stakeholders? This is not our role.

“Our role is to support the process, support the stakeholders, empower them, and this is what we are doing,” Mignot said.

He explained that the EU supported a political violence-focused event organised by the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to him, the programme allowed participants to examine the problem, exchange views and develop recommendations.

The ambassador stressed that the EU was not in Nigeria to replace local institutions or dictate how the country’s electoral affairs should be managed.

He also revealed that the organisation was empowering civil society groups to deploy 5,500 observers for the 2027 elections.

Mignot further disclosed that the EU had recently partnered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and civil society organisations on a simulation exercise involving misinformation, particularly content generated through artificial intelligence.

The exercise was designed to assess the preparedness and responses of electoral stakeholders to such incidents.

He reiterated that the EU’s responsibility was to offer assistance, advice and recommendations while allowing Nigerian institutions to perform their duties.

Addressing calls for sanctions similar to those imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Mignot described such comparisons as unrealistic and based on misplaced expectations.

He argued that the circumstances surrounding Russia’s war against another country and reported incidents of political violence within Nigeria were not comparable.

“Why are we sanctioning Russia? Why are we not sanctioning this or that individual in this or that state because he or she made an inflammatory speech?

“I mean, clearly you can see it’s not the same scale. It’s not in one case, it’s just internal to Nigeria. In other cases, it’s an attack against another country and against Europe itself.

“This is the kind of cases where we use sanctions, not to sanction individuals in almost 200 countries of the world wherever someone is misbehaving, according to democratic standards. We can’t do that. This is not our role.

“So, I think that this has to be understood because sometimes I think there are too high expectations or wrong expectations towards the EU and other partners. Our role is to support the process, is to also give advice, give recommendations,” he added.