**Mass Phone Tapping: SERAP Calls on Tinubu to Intervene** The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sounded the alarm over Nigeria's Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations, 2019. The organisation has urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to withdraw the regulations, which SERAP describes as "unconstitutional, unlawful, and at odds with Nigeria's international obligations." The call comes in the wake of allegations by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai that his phone conversation with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, was intercepted. This raises concerns about the misuse of mass surveillance powers, particularly in the context of Nigeria's upcoming 2027 general elections. According to SERAP, the regulations establish a sweeping mass surveillance regime that violates Nigerians' right to privacy and freedom of expression. The rules grant broad and vague powers to intercept communications on grounds such as national security, economic wellbeing, and public emergency, without adequate judicial safeguards, independent oversight, transparency, or effective remedies. The organisation highlights the risks of abuse during politically sensitive periods, stating that surveillance measures that lack strict necessity, proportionality, and independent judicial oversight can easily be weaponised against political opponents, journalists, civil society actors, and election observers. Free and fair elections depend on confidential communications, protected journalistic sources, and open democratic debate. SERAP is calling for narrow, clearly defined interception powers, backed by independent judicial authorization and effective remedies. The organisation warns that the current regulations fail to meet the tests of legality, necessity, and proportionality. Specifically, Regulation 4 gives broad discretionary interception power with minimal clarity regarding the scope or limits of such discretion, while Regulation 23 allows the Nigerian Communications Commission to designate additional authorities with interception powers, creating ambiguity and undermining the rules. In light of these concerns, SERAP is urging President Tinubu to direct the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to immediately withdraw the Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations, 2019. This would pave the way for a transparent legislative process to ensure that any lawful interception framework complies with constitutional safeguards, judicial oversight, and international human rights standards. The implications of mass phone tapping on Nigerians' right to political participation and electoral integrity cannot be overstated. As we approach the 2027 general elections, it is imperative that we take steps to protect the confidentiality of communications and prevent the