Nigeria's journalists' union, Amnesty International, and opposition figures have condemned a directive issued on 17 April by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the country's state broadcasting regulator, warning broadcasters against partisan or "inflammatory" content ahead of the January 2027 presidential election. The NBC threatened regulatory sanctions against outlets deemed to have strayed from "accuracy, impartiality and professionalism," and told journalists not to express personal opinions — measures critics describe as an attempt to institutionalise censorship and encourage self-censorship. Nigerian rights NGO Serap has called on President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the directive entirely, which it regards as illegal.