Get Guardian on GoogleThe European Union (EU) has pledged fresh funding to support the protection of civic and political spaces in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections, amid concerns over alleged electoral violence, political intimidation, hate speech and restrictions on fundamental rights.
EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2026 Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders Forum on the State of Human Rights, organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in collaboration with the EU.
Mignot said the EU was preparing a new project with additional funding in partnership with the commission to strengthen human rights protection and support democratic governance.
He described the forum’s theme, “Protecting Human Rights in Civic and Political Spaces in the 2027 Elections, as timely, particularly against the backdrop of reports of election-related violence, hate speech, political intimidation and violations of fundamental rights.
He said the EU’s support was not intended to interfere in Nigeria’s electoral process but to strengthen the capacity of legitimate Nigerian stakeholders to contribute to free, fair and credible elections.
“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,” he said.
The ambassador warned that restrictions on civic and political spaces could undermine citizens’ participation in elections and weaken public confidence in democratic institutions.
He said free media, peaceful assembly, open public forums and active civil society organisations were essential to ensuring that citizens could scrutinise candidates, debate public issues and hold political leaders accountable without fear of censorship or retaliation.
Mignot urged government institutions, political parties, civil society organisations and the media to play their respective roles in protecting these freedoms.
He also pledged that the EU and its member states would study the outcome document and roadmap to be produced by the forum and share them with their respective authorities.
In his welcome remarks, NHRC Executive Secretary, Dr Anthony Ojukwu, SAN, said civil society organisations, journalists and human rights defenders continued to face harassment, arbitrary arrests and alleged misuse of laws, including provisions of the Cybercrimes Act.
He also raised concerns over voter intimidation, prohibitive political nomination fees that could exclude women, young people and persons with disabilities from contesting elections, hate speech and the absence of accountability for electoral offences.
“As long as people can commit these election-related offences and go scot-free, then anybody can try anything they like,” Ojukwu said.
He disclosed that the commission’s September 2026 Human Rights Situation Dashboard recorded 338,810 complaints of human rights violations across its 38 offices nationwide, with the North-Central zone recording the highest number.
The Human Rights Observatory also documented 208 killings and 210 kidnappings during the period, alongside deaths in custody and violence against children.
Ojukwu said the commission had completed 2,458 investigations and conducted 113 monitoring visits to police stations, correctional centres and other detention facilities.
He announced that the NHRC’s Human Rights and Election Situation Room would operate round the clock during the election period, while monitors would be deployed to identified hotspots and legal aid partnerships established to respond to violations.
