Barely two months to the 2027 general elections, there are rising cases of political violence across Nigeria, despite efforts by various bodies to discourage mayhem before, during and after the polls.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Assembly elections have been slated for February 6, 2026.

In the last seven days, there have been cases of political violence in no less than seven states, with the latest in Lagos, where several supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) were injured after suspected political thugs disrupted a town hall meeting organised on Thursday by the party for its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

There was also an incident in Zamfara State during an All Progressives Congress (APC) primary.

Other states that recorded violence within the period included Edo, Delta, Gombe and Cross River states.

The incidents have been more frequent this year, with states like Katsina, Kebbi, Enugu, Ekiti, Ondo, Ebonyi, Osun and Nasarawa states all experiencing various forms of political violence.

Prominent political actors have also threatened voters in ways that raised concerns over free, fair and credible polls in 2027.

The National Peace Committee revealed recently that reports spanning August 19 to October 27 documented 109 breaches of the National Peace Accord across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

It also observed that political violence and thuggery led the violations with 33 incidents, closely followed by 29 cases of misinformation and disinformation and identified Kaduna, Edo, and Enugu as serious flashpoints for electoral violence.

The European Union (EU) also expressed concern over reports of election-related violence, hate speech and political intimidation ahead of Nigeria’s general elections.

EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, noted that these threats undermined democratic progress and discouraged citizens from participating freely in the electoral process.

Two injured in NDC Lagos town hall

Our correspondents report that suspected political thugs, armed with guns, cutlasses, axes and other weapons, invaded the venue of the NDC meeting on Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, on Thursday and disrupted preparations for the gathering.

Witnesses said the attackers, who reportedly arrived from the Oregun area of Ikeja, stormed the event centre in large numbers, fired gunshots and destroyed items around the premises, forcing people to flee for safety.

Daily Trust gathered that NDC supporters had arrived at the venue as early as 8am to prepare the hall ahead of the arrival of party leaders, including Obi and Kwankwaso, when the incident occurred.

A witness said the atmosphere was initially peaceful until the attackers, suspected to be loyal to the ruling APC, arrived in commercial buses and began threatening to disrupt the programme.

However, the APC has denied involvement in the alleged attacks, saying no credible evidence linked the party to the incident.

One of the injured supporters, Olamilekan Olayiwola, who is the NDC Ward F Chairman in Ifako-Ijaiye, sustained an injury in his hand. He said he had noticed suspicious activities outside the venue shortly before the attack.

Olayiwola said he saw about five yellow commercial buses parked outside the premises, with occupants allegedly smoking and making threats.

“As I heard that, I returned to the hall and I informed a party leader of the impending danger. He called the police, but before we looked up, we saw these people marching forward. There were almost 50 of them.

“They went after us, but when we thought that once they entered the hall, they would destroy everything, that was when we resisted and pursued them,” he said.

Olayiwola also alleged that some supporters, who were in a bus, lost their mobile phones during the attack.

He added that the police intervened by firing shots into the air to disperse the crowd, while a suspect apprehended during the incident was taken away.

Another injured supporter, Michael Ejike, said one of the attackers broke a bottle on his head during the confrontation.

Ahmed Olayemi said he narrowly escaped death during the incident, alleging that some of the attackers were armed with knives.

Daily Trust learnt that the confrontation spread to the adjoining road, where broken bottles, damaged chairs and tables belonging to petty traders littered the area.

Our correspondent, who visited the scene, saw damaged vehicles belonging to party members.

The violence disrupted commercial activities and vehicular movement along the Oregun Road, forcing commercial buses and private cars to make a U-turn to avoid being caught in the melee. Traders and other business operators also suspended their activities amid fears of further violence.

Additional security operatives, including police personnel from Alausa Police Station and officers of other security agencies, were drafted to the venue to restore order.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed that two persons were injured, but said the situation was under control.

Vehicles vandalised after thugs attacked the All Progressives Congress (APC) convoy on a campaign tour to Funtua, Katsina State recently
APC denies involvement

The Lagos APC denied allegations that it sponsored the disruption of the NDC rally, saying its leaders and members were attending the party’s 2027 campaign flag-off in Epe when the incident occurred.

The party described the allegation as baseless and an attempt by the opposition to shift responsibility for the incident, insisting that no credible evidence had been presented to establish any link between the APC and the disruption.

In a statement, the Lagos APC spokesman, Mogaji Seye Oladejo, said the party neither sponsored nor encouraged any action capable of undermining the constitutional rights of other political parties to organise meetings and canvass for support.

Oladejo said it was curious that the allegation emerged on the same day the APC officially commenced its campaign activities for the 2027 general elections in Epe, many kilometres away from Ikeja.

He accused the NDC of resorting to blame-shifting instead of establishing the circumstances surrounding the disruption of its gathering and identifying those responsible.

NDC condemns attack, vows not to be intimidated

The party has condemned the attack on its supporters in Lagos, describing the incident as an unacceptable assault on democracy.

In a statement signed by the spokesperson of the NDC National Campaign Council, Dr. Chiogo Constance Ikokwu, the party sympathised with those injured in the incident and wished them speedy recovery.

“This incident is an unacceptable assault on democracy, citizens’ fundamental rights, and the freedom of political association. No political party or group has a monopoly on Nigeria, and no one has the right to use violence, intimidation, or thuggery to silence opposing voices. Nigeria is not a conquered territory, and political participation is not a crime,” the statement said.

The party demanded an immediate investigation into the attack, calling on security agencies to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators and end what it described as a dangerous culture of political violence in some states.

According to the campaign council, those behind the attack must understand that democracy belongs to the people rather than political thugs and their sponsors.

Ikokwu alleged that the incident was part of a calculated attempt to instil fear and discourage citizens from voting in the 2027 general elections, but insisted that such efforts would fail.

“The people’s determination to reclaim their democratic voice will be stronger than any threat. The NDC and its supporters will not be silenced or bullied out of exercising their democratic rights,” the statement added.

The party further urged Nigerians to turn out in large numbers during the 2027 elections and vote Obi in pursuit of accountable leadership and a new direction for the country.

APC campaign demands arrests of perpetrators

Meanwhile, the APC Presidential Campaign Council has called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute those behind a string of violent incidents at political gatherings nationwide.

In a statement on Thursday, the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, condemned recent attacks targeting political leaders and supporters across party lines in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe states, as well as the disruption of the NDC town hall meeting in Lagos.

“The reported attacks in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe, and other violence targeted at party supporters and political leaders across party lines are condemnable. Our campaign strongly condemns the disruption of today’s scheduled town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos,” the statement read.

With campaign activities underway across the country, the council urged political parties, candidates and supporters to exercise restraint and refrain from conduct capable of triggering public disorder.

The council also urged security agencies to intensify their vigilance and response times to prevent further unrest, stating that both the instigators and perpetrators of political violence must face the full weight of the law.

Alake urged political actors to focus their campaigns on issue-based engagement aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians rather than inciting disruptions at public events.

2 feared killed in Zamfara APC Reps rerun primary

In a related development, violence marred the APC rerun primary election for Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency in Zamfara State, with two separate officials declaring different winners amid reports that two people were reportedly killed and others sustained gunshot injuries.

While Hassan Magaji Umar was declared winner by a member of the APC Primary Election Committee, Alhaji Mustapha Mohammed, after polling 9,216 votes, another faction of the party reportedly announced a different result, leaving the outcome of the exercise disputed.

Umar’s major challenger and incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Aminu Sani Jaji, scored 6,561 votes in the result announced by Mohammed at the rerun primary held on Wednesday.

However, the exercise was fraught with violence, including an attack on the residence of the APC Chairman of Birnin Magaji Local Government Area, Hon. Ahmad Abdullahi Ahmad, by suspected political thugs.

The attackers allegedly set a vehicle ablaze. Two persons were also reportedly killed, while others sustained gunshot injuries.

Edo, Delta, Gombe incidents

Last Saturday, NDC supporters were attacked during a rally organised by the Obedient/OK Movement in support of Obi and his running mate, Kwankwaso, in Delta State. One person was confirmed dead while five others were injured.

The former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Godwin Anaughe, alleged that more than 30 vehicles were destroyed, while over 10 members and supporters sustained injuries.

In Edo, both the NDC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have witnessed attacks.

David Olukoga, the NDC chairman, alleged that the party secretariat in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area and the party billboards belonging to the party’s candidates, Hon. Bawa Mohammed Qaleeph and Hon. Frank Uyi Omosigho, were destroyed.

Similarly, Tonie Alile, the ADC chairman in Edo, alleged that a member of the party, Jerry Oliha, was shot during an attack on ADC chieftain, Kenneth Imansuangbon, at Igueben on October 6, 2026.

Some youths had, on Wednesday, set bonfires and mounted roadblocks along Jekadafari Road, near the family house of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, in an attempt to stop former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, from entering Gombe town.

Pantami was in the state capital for a mega rally that attracted a large crowd. The rally was organised by the Gombe State chapter of the PDP to honour Pantami, following the publication of his name on the gubernatorial list of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Witnesses said the youths stormed the busy road and blocked it with tyres before setting them ablaze.

Vehicular movement was completely disrupted for several minutes, as motorists were forced to seek alternative routes to their destinations.

Our correspondent reports that another group of armed youths smashed the windscreens of several vehicles in the motorcade, sparking panic among supporters and other road users.

It took the intervention of security personnel deployed to the scene to restore normalcy and clear the road for normal traffic flow.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, the Deputy Director of Media in the Gombe APC Campaign Council, Dahiru Hassan Kera, accused the PDP supporters of destroying its campaign billboards and materials, describing it as unfortunate, undemocratic and capable of heating the polity.

Reps condemn violence

The House of Representatives on Thursday also condemned reported cases of disruption of political rallies across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.

This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Rep. Fred Agbedi, and 16 other lawmakers.

Agbedi, who presented the motion, condemned acts of violence, intimidation, assault and destruction of property associated with political rallies, meetings, processions and other lawful political activities, irrespective of the political parties or individuals affected and appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to reject inflammatory rhetoric, discourage violence and cooperate with security agencies to maintain public peace.

Citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the minority leader reminded lawmakers that Nigerians are guaranteed the right to assemble freely and associate with others, including the right to form or belong to political parties.

‘Rising political violence recipe for anarchy’

Vice President of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), Professor Murtala Muhammad, has warned that Nigeria could slide into anarchy if the growing wave of political violence across the country is not urgently addressed.

The political scientist attributed the incidents to intense competition among political elites for access to state resources, weak democratic institutions and worsening economic conditions.

“In an emerging economy like ours, where corruption is deeply entrenched, politicians are all out to win elections because they want a share of the national cake,” he said.

Prof Muhammad noted that political contests in Nigeria have increasingly assumed a “war-like” dimension, with politicians willing to deploy various means to secure electoral victory at all costs.

“If this continues, Nigeria may likely go into anarchy. Anything can happen,” he warned.

He linked the recruitment of youths into political violence to widespread unemployment and poverty, arguing that many young people become easy tools in the hands of politicians because of economic hardship.

The NPSA vice president called on political leaders and the elite to embark on far-reaching governance and economic reforms to reduce tensions and strengthen democracy.