Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for stronger measures to tackle vote-buying and voter inducement ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The groups made the demand at the 2026 National CSOs Summit held in Abuja, where they identified vote-buying as a major threat to the credibility of the electoral process.

Representatives of organisations working to promote credible, transparent and inclusive elections expressed concern over what they described as the repeated failure to effectively prosecute people arrested for alleged vote-buying.

They argued that the continued absence of convictions could weaken efforts to deter electoral offenders and allow the practice to persist in future elections.

The CSOs therefore called for stringent enforcement of existing electoral laws, including the investigation, prosecution and conviction of offenders.

Their position comes amid wider concerns among electoral stakeholders about vote-buying, voter intimidation, electoral violence and other practices that could undermine the 2027 polls.

At a multi-stakeholder electoral reform meeting in Abuja on Friday, participants also identified vote-buying and voter inducement as significant threats to the credibility of the 2027 elections and urged the Police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other relevant agencies to prosecute electoral offenders.

The demand also follows previous calls by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of more than 70 organisations, for stronger mechanisms to detect, investigate and prosecute vote-buying offences. The coalition had also advocated the establishment of an independent Electoral Offences Commission.

Nigeria is preparing for the 2027 general elections under the Electoral Act 2026, which provides the current legal framework for the polls. INEC has also published regulations and guidelines for elections under the new law.

The renewed calls by civil society groups underscore the emphasis being placed on enforcement, as stakeholders seek to ensure that voters can make electoral choices without inducement, coercion or intimidation ahead of the 2027 elections.