By Wale Alonge
Administration after administration, the Nigerian state has failed in its most basic responsibility: guaranteeing the safety and security of its citizens. Ordinary Nigerians live in perpetual fear, often petrified to leave their homes after dawn. Let’s accept this as the backdrop before the usual critics start targeting the messenger.
As the 2027 presidential election approaches, citizens must brace for a surge of terror-driven political propaganda. Expect real attacks, fabricated incidents, recycled videos, AI-generated scenes of carnage, kidnappings, and orchestrated chaos, strategically pushed into our WhatsApp groups and social media feeds.
Violence is not new in Nigerian elections. From the First Republic to the “Wet e” era, political contests have often been marred by bloodshed. But the playbook has evolved—and worsened. The 2015 election between Jonathan and Buhari, and the 2023 contest among Obi, Atiku, and Tinubu, revealed how fear can be weaponized.
The stakes in 2027 are higher than ever, and ordinary Nigerians will bear the brunt. Expect spikes in terror attacks and gruesome content engineered to manipulate emotions. Social media will be awash with shocking videos, some real, many doctored, others entirely fictional but frighteningly convincing. Politicians will exploit these to control public perception and electoral outcomes.
Why does this work? Fear hijacks the human brain. Dopamine surges at shocking images, just as bloodthirsty crowds once roared in the Roman Colosseum. Bad news spreads faster than truth because it hooks emotions and triggers compulsive sharing. Fear and terror remain the most potent tools in the political power game, and those who seek control understand this perfectly.
We must resist. We must not allow manufactured, exaggerated, or even real terror to manipulate our choices. We must tame our fingers before hitting “share.” Panic is a political strategy, and we are the targets.
Social media algorithms—designed by what I call the true “evil geniuses,” exploit our emotional vulnerabilities. They monetize fear, incentivize outrage, and erode social and moral values. AI-generated fake news will only get harder to distinguish from reality. But intentionality, verification, and discipline can save us.
The fight is not just against political actors but against a system that thrives on fear, chaos, and manipulation. We must educate ourselves, question sensational content, and prioritize truth over virality.
As Nigerians, resisting the weaponization of fear is not optional—it is necessary for the survival of our democracy and the integrity of our electoral process.
May God save us from what lies ahead.
Adewale Alonge, PhD, Founder & President, Africa Diaspora Partnership for Empowerment and Development. www.adped.org, writes in from Dadeland, Miami, Florida, USA.
