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With the 2027 general elections approaching, inflammatory political statements by prominent figures are raising concerns about possible violence, ethnic divisions and growing tensions across Nigeria.

Among the latest controversies is a remark attributed to the Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarret Tenebe, who threatened to deploy AK-47 firearms against individuals opposed to the party’s plan to secure 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Tenebe made the statement while addressing APC supporters at a gathering in Benin City following the recent local government council election.

He claimed that Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo had promised Tinubu 2.5 million votes from the state and insisted that the party would work to achieve the target.

The APC chairman further alleged that his party recorded 2,158,600 votes in the state’s recent local government election, describing the figure as unprecedented.

Warning those he believed could obstruct the party’s electoral plans, Tenebe referred to the use of firearms.

“Those who do not wish us well, who want to create an obstacle for us, I have a prayer for you.

“So, anybody who refuses, who wants to stand in our way, for us not to have those votes that we intend to give to Mr President, AK-47 fire.”

Tenebe’s remarks have added to a series of controversial political statements made by public officials and party leaders ahead of the 2027 elections.

In September, Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, warned critics of Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration that anyone who raised a finger against the government could have theirs cut off.

Buba made the statement during the inauguration of a campaign organised by the City Boy Movement, a political support group backing Tinubu’s second-term bid.

In another incident, the APC chairman in Yobe State, Muhammad Gadaka, told women at a political rally in Nangere Local Government Area that he would pay the bride price of women whose husbands divorced them for voting for the ruling party.

Gadaka later apologised, explaining that his remarks had been misunderstood and were intended as a joke based on a traditional relationship between the Gamawa and Kare-Kare communities.

Similarly, the Chairman of Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Danjuma Shekwolo, told residents to support the APC or leave the council.

Shekwolo subsequently clarified that the statement was made during a meeting with APC youths and loyalists and was not intended to deny residents their rights because of their political affiliations.

In Osun State, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East, reportedly urged his supporters to attack members of the Accord Party ahead of the state’s August 15 governorship election.

Analysts have interpreted Tenebe’s remarks as a threat suggesting that people who oppose Tinubu’s re-election in Edo State could face gun violence or sustain gunshot injuries.

Political observers have warned that such inflammatory statements could have serious consequences if authorities fail to address them promptly.

They argued that the lack of sanctions against individuals who made similar remarks in the past could encourage others to adopt the same approach.

Implications of the controversy

One of the developments following Tenebe’s remarks was the public display of an AK-47 rifle by Aminu Warkal, a House of Assembly candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State.

Warkal was seen leaning out of a moving vehicle at a political rally while displaying a rifle and warning that his group would respond in equal measure if the APC wanted war.

Some observers linked his actions to the earlier remarks by the Edo APC chairman.

They argued that the failure of the police or the Department of State Services (DSS) to invite Tenebe for questioning may have emboldened Warkal to display the weapon publicly and issue his own warning.

However, unlike Tenebe, Warkal was promptly invited by the Kano State Police Command for questioning over the alleged unlawful display of a firearm.

The Kano State Police spokesperson, Abdullahi Kiyawa, said the alleged display, if established, would constitute a violation of the Firearms Act.

He added that the conduct could create fear, intimidate members of the public and threaten public peace and security.

Part of the statement read: “In line with its sustained intelligence-led surveillance, robust community engagement, and proactive security presence across all parts of the State, the Kano State Police Command, while on routine cyber patrol, came across a video clip circulating on social media platforms where one Aminu Abdullahi Warkal was seen openly displaying a firearm suspected to be a Pump Action Rifle during what appears to be a political gathering.

“The alleged unlawful display of firearms, if established, constitutes a clear violation of the provisions of the Firearms Act and is capable of inciting fear, intimidating members of the public and breaching public peace and security.

“On the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, the said Aminu Abdullahi Warkal was invited to the Command Headquarters, Bompai, Kano.”

Kiyawa said the Commissioner of Police had warned that the command would not tolerate lawlessness, thuggery or the display of weapons capable of endangering public safety, irrespective of the status of those involved.

He also urged politicians and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and comply with the Electoral Act, the Firearms Act and other relevant laws.

Following Warkal’s invitation for questioning, Kennedy Iyere, an Accord Party senatorial candidate for Edo Central in the 2027 election and a prominent civil society leader, called on the DSS to arrest and investigate Tenebe over his comments concerning the AK-47 rifle.

Iyere made the request in a petition addressed to the DSS director in Edo State, describing the remarks as a potential threat to peace, political stability and national security.

He urged the agency to ensure that Tenebe publicly retract the alleged statement across various media platforms.

The Accord Party candidate warned that the matter should not be treated lightly, arguing that failure to address it could trigger youth-led protests and political agitation across the country ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said the comments had already attracted widespread condemnation and required urgent intervention by the security agency.

Iyere also called on the DSS to assess the alleged threat within Nigeria’s broader political and security environment and take appropriate measures to prevent an escalation of tensions.

Concerns over unequal treatment

Commenting on the possible consequences of Tenebe’s statement, Lagos-based opposition politician Ganiyu James warned that inflammatory political rhetoric could trigger violence and result in the destruction of lives and property.

“The point is that when an APC member makes such inflammatory statements, it is normal and good, but when it comes from an opposition figure, it then becomes a threat to national security.

“Nobody has a monopoly on violence, and the earlier the APC understands that, the better for everybody in Nigeria. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and nobody can intimidate us simply because he has the backing of the ruling party.

“You can see how the APC government behaves. All the people who have been threatening others from Borno to Sokoto and from Abuja to Edo did not commit any offence because they are APC members.

“But as soon as an opposition figure in Kano displayed equal madness, the police were very quick to call him to order by inviting him for questioning. It is this kind of partial treatment of citizens that causes a crisis.

“You can’t have different sets of laws for different sets of people in the same country. What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander.

“​Anybody who makes inflammatory statements, no matter their political leaning, should be called to order. But when you allow some people to insult and threaten others while preventing others from doing the same, then you are courting trouble.

“What I am saying is that Tenebe’s utterance should not be allowed to go uninvestigated. He should be invited to explain what he meant by threatening to unleash AK-47 fire on those who stand against the APC’s plan to give Tinubu 2.5 million votes in 2027.

“Such a statement has grave implications if left unattended to. Others may want to borrow a leaf from it, and the resultant effect is obvious: violence, anarchy and bloodshed.”

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