Just days before Osun State heads to one of Nigeria’s most closely watched governorship elections, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has mounted an unprecedented intervention, warning political actors that no electoral victory is worth human lives as the campaign enters its most volatile phase.
The legal body’s peace mission comes against the backdrop of growing national and international concern over inflammatory political rhetoric, including a viral campaign video allegedly showing Senator Francis Fadahunsi urging supporters to attack opposition members—remarks that triggered condemnation from Amnesty International, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), civil society organisations and leading political figures.
Amnesty International Nigeria described the alleged comments as “reckless” and capable of inciting electoral violence, while its Country Director, Isa Sanusi, warned that the organisation intended to make the senator “an example” internationally by publicising the incident across its global network. The NHRC, the Accord Party and several civil society coalitions similarly demanded criminal investigation and prosecution, arguing that incitement to violence should never become part of democratic competition.
Although Senator Fadahunsi has denied encouraging violence, insisting that his remarks referred to “killing opponents with votes” and that the viral clip was edited out of context, the controversy has heightened anxieties ahead of Saturday’s poll. Police have since questioned the senator as part of ongoing investigations.
Against that tense backdrop, NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, led a high-powered delegation to Osun State, holding separate meetings with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), senior police officers and members of the legal profession in what observers describe as one of the profession’s clearest interventions aimed at preventing electoral violence before ballots are cast.
NBA Seeks Assurances from INEC
The delegation first visited the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin O. Babalola, the first woman to serve as INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State.
Congratulating her appointment, Osigwe urged her to uphold the independence, integrity and impartiality expected of both the electoral commission and the legal profession.
Babalola assured the delegation that INEC had completed extensive preparations for the election, including intensive training for electoral officials aimed at reducing human error and strengthening public confidence in the voting process.
She also disclosed that voter education campaigns had continued across the state, particularly among students and community groups, while assuring Nigerians that every lawful vote would count.
Addressing concerns over recent violence, the REC maintained that disturbances recorded in parts of the state were largely linked to cult-related activities rather than organised political attacks.
Police Promise Massive Security Deployment
The NBA delegation also met with Deputy Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Ishaku and other senior officers coordinating election security.
The police leadership assured the association that comprehensive security arrangements had been activated across Osun, with thousands of officers already deployed and further reinforcements expected before election day.
According to the police, operational plans are designed to secure polling units, electoral materials and voters throughout the exercise while responding rapidly to any security threats.
‘Power Must Never Be Pursued Through Bloodshed’
Speaking during a press conference at the NBA Osogbo Branch, Osigwe delivered perhaps the strongest message of the visit.
He urged electoral officials, politicians, security agencies and public office holders to remain neutral and resist every temptation to manipulate the process.
“The only acceptable outcome,” he stressed, “is one that reflects the freely expressed will of the people.”
He appealed directly to political leaders to lower the political temperature, warning that Osun must not become another example of democracy undermined by violence.
“No life should be lost in the pursuit of political power,” he said, urging candidates and their supporters to reject intimidation, violence and electoral malpractice.
Osigwe also reminded lawyers serving as election observers that they remain guardians of the rule of law, urging them to discharge their duties professionally while taking appropriate precautions for their personal safety.
International Attention on Osun
The NBA’s intervention comes after unusually strong reactions from both domestic and international organisations over inflammatory campaign rhetoric.
Amnesty International warned that language capable of encouraging attacks on political opponents threatens not only the credibility of the election but also Nigeria’s obligations under international human rights law.
The National Human Rights Commission similarly emphasised that political speech carrying the potential to provoke violence should attract legal consequences where appropriate.
Civil society organisations have also renewed calls for political parties to publicly commit themselves to peaceful campaigns, while warning that unchecked hate speech has historically preceded electoral violence in several parts of the country.
The concern extends beyond Nigeria. International election observers have repeatedly identified inflammatory political language as one of the strongest predictors of election-related violence, particularly where such remarks go unchallenged by party leaders or law enforcement agencies.
A Familiar Democratic Test
For legal observers, the NBA’s mission reflects a broader constitutional principle: elections derive their legitimacy not merely from votes cast, but from the conditions under which citizens are able to vote freely and safely.
Nigeria’s Electoral Act criminalises acts of violence, intimidation and conduct intended to prevent citizens from exercising their electoral rights. International instruments to which Nigeria is a party—including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance—also impose obligations to safeguard peaceful democratic participation.
Those principles acquire greater significance whenever political rhetoric appears capable of inflaming already fragile tensions.
As Osun prepares to vote, the challenge extends beyond determining who wins the governorship. It is also a test of whether political competition can remain within the limits of law, restraint and democratic responsibility.
For the Nigerian Bar Association, that is the standard against which Saturday’s election will ultimately be judged.
