Senior Advocate of Nigeria Monday Ubani has warned political leaders against normalising threats, intimidation and intolerance ahead of the 2027 general election, saying increasingly aggressive rhetoric could create conditions for political violence.
Ubani said Nigeria’s political environment was becoming more unsettling even before the campaign season had fully intensified.
He cited statements attributed to political actors in Ebonyi State as examples of rhetoric that should not be encouraged in a democracy.
The lawyer referred to reports that local government officials had been told they must deliver their areas politically and to remarks by a council chairman that critics interpreted as threatening.
Those statements and their intended meaning remain matters of public and political dispute.
Ubani also raised concern over reports that a presidential contender had been denied entry into a state, arguing that authorities should provide a clear account of what occurred.
He said political opponents must retain basic freedoms of movement and participation regardless of the intensity of electoral competition.
The senior lawyer warned that Nigeria’s history showed how political hostility could escalate into violence when leaders failed to exercise restraint.
He referred to Operation Wetie during the First Republic and violence associated with several more recent election cycles.
Ubani called on political parties, candidates, security agencies and public officials to treat peaceful competition, tolerance and respect for constitutional rights as minimum requirements for the 2027 elections.
