2027 Campaigns Begin Today as Tinubu, Obi, Sowore, Others Pledge Peace

 

2027 Campaigns Begin Today: Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Sowore, Makinde, Others Take Battle for Presidency to Nigerians

By Victor Olubiye

Campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections officially begin across Nigeria today, August 19, with political parties and candidates set to take their messages to voters amid renewed calls for issue-based politics and peaceful competition.

The commencement of the campaigns follows Tuesday's signing of the National Peace Accord in Abuja by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Donald Duke and other political actors.

The accord committed political parties and candidates to peaceful campaigns and rejected violence, hate speech, incitement and other actions capable of undermining the electoral process.

With the campaign period now open, civil society organisations and political scientists are urging the contestants to focus on the issues confronting Nigerians rather than personality attacks, ethnic and religious sentiments or other forms of divisive politics.

The campaign is expected to put the programmes, records and political promises of the various parties and candidates under greater public scrutiny as they begin nationwide mobilisation.

At Tuesday's Peace Accord ceremony, President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, urged political actors to make the campaign a contest of ideas.

Tinubu said disagreements among political opponents were normal in a democracy but warned against using ethnicity and religion as instruments for seeking political power.

«“Let us campaign on superior ideas. Let us debate issues and promote the best policies to expand opportunities for our people and accelerate Nigeria’s journey from a developing nation to a first-world country.”»

He also rejected violence, hate speech, misinformation and incitement, including the misuse of artificial intelligence and social media to manipulate public opinion or inflame tensions.

“Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner,” he said.

Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), said the commitments made under the Peace Accord must be reflected in the conduct of politicians during and after the campaigns.

“As contestants, we must allow what we are going to do today to reflect in our activities during and after the campaign,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor also condemned violence recorded during the recently concluded Osun State governorship election and urged politicians to pursue their ambitions through peaceful and democratic means.

He called on voters to hold political leaders accountable and reject candidates who violate the commitments contained in the accord.

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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend not only on INEC but also on the conduct of political parties, candidates and their supporters.

Amupitan urged contestants to present measurable manifestos focused on the welfare of Nigerians and conduct issue-based campaigns without character assassination, identity manipulation and inflammatory rhetoric.

He described campaigns as a “competitive job interview” rather than a “war theatre”.

The INEC chairman warned that the Peace Accord would have little meaning if political leaders failed to ensure that its provisions were respected by their supporters and campaign structures across the country.

“It is not the signatures written on this Accord today that preserve democracy; it is the character of the leaders who hold the pen,” he said.

Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said the campaign should move beyond slogans, personalities and attacks to issue-based political engagement.

Itodo urged parties and candidates to make concrete and measurable commitments on insecurity, the cost of living, unemployment, education, healthcare, corruption, power and the economy.

He also warned candidates against inflammatory ethnic, religious or regional rhetoric, stressing that political competition should not become a licence for intimidation or violence.

Similarly, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre and head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, urged candidates to present realistic programmes and clear implementation strategies.

Rafsanjani said Nigerians deserved campaigns that addressed the challenges affecting their daily lives, including insecurity, unemployment, poverty, inflation, corruption, healthcare, education, infrastructure, agriculture, taxation and public debt.

He also called for televised debates and town-hall meetings where citizens, journalists and civil society organisations could question candidates on their manifestos.

“Nigeria cannot afford another electoral season dominated by empty promises and divisive politics,” he said.

The Executive Director of CREAP Africa Initiative, Sylvanus Udoenoh, also advocated policy-driven campaigns, saying issues should take precedence over party structures, incumbency, ethnicity, religion, regional loyalties and the financial strength of candidates.

Professor Emmanuel Aiyede, a professor of political institutions, governance and public policy at the University of Ibadan and president of the Nigerian Political Science Association, urged presidential and governorship candidates to make political debates central to their campaigns.

Aiyede said debates would allow candidates to explain their policies and answer questions on how they intended to implement their promises.

“Political debates are very important aspects of the campaign. Many presidential candidates have shied away from political debates, and it has worsened our democracy,” he said.

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A political science lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dr Christian Okeke, similarly called for robust, issue-based and solution-oriented campaigns.

Okeke said the ruling party should defend its policies and demonstrate their impact, while opposition parties should present credible alternatives to enable voters make informed choices.

A senior lecturer at Kaduna State University, Godwin Atile, urged politicians to avoid vote-buying and personality attacks.

“I would expect an issues-based campaign. The candidates should be able to tell the electorate what they can do better and how they will go about it,” he said.

Professor Hassan Saliu, president of the Nigerian Society of International Affairs and former president of the Nigerian Political Science Association, said Nigeria's current challenges required campaigns marked by urgency, preparedness and clarity.

He said political campaigns in the current democratic dispensation had generally failed to generate the level of substantive debate required to help voters make informed choices.

As the campaigns begin today, the attention now shifts from pre-election preparations and political positioning to direct engagement with the electorate. Parties and candidates will have to convince Nigerians not only that they deserve their votes, but also that their proposed solutions can address the country's pressing challenges.

The Peace Accord signed on Tuesday has set an early benchmark for the conduct of the campaign. Whether those commitments will be reflected in rallies, speeches, social media campaigns and other political activities across the country will become clearer as the 2027 race gathers momentum.