2027: Police, NUJ, Stakeholders Unite For Peaceful Polls, Voter Participation

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and other key stakeholders have called for peaceful elections, increased voter participation and sustained civic education ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The call was made yesterday at a stakeholders’ workshop on “Electoral Engagement and Peaceful Democratic Participation”, organised by the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society in collaboration with the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies, Mambayya House, Kano.

At the event, the director of the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies, Prof. Habu Mohammed, said the initiative was designed to complement electoral institutions’ efforts by mobilising citizens to participate in the democratic process.

He said the partnership with the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Foundation, built on an earlier MacArthur Foundation-supported project, was aimed at promoting peaceful elections and strengthening public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy ahead of 2027.

According to him, voter mobilisation remains a major challenge and stressed the need to sensitise Nigerians on the importance of registering, voting and protecting the electoral process.

Mohammed said the workshop brought together security agencies, traditional institutions, civil society organisations and the media to encourage dialogue on peaceful elections and democratic consolidation.

Representing the inspector-general of police (IGP), the commissioner of police in charge of Election Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Abayomi Shogunle, said the police had developed new strategies to improve election security based on lessons from previous polls.

He said extensive studies conducted by the Force had identified the causes of security challenges experienced during past elections, adding that proactive measures had been put in place to prevent a recurrence.

Shogunle cited the recent governorship elections in Anambra and Ekiti States as evidence that the new security strategies were yielding positive results.

The Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Fuad Adeyemi, said credible elections remained the foundation of good governance and national development.

He said the workshop was convened to encourage stakeholders to jointly address challenges confronting Nigeria’s electoral process and prevent violence before, during and after elections.

Adeyemi urged Nigerians to unite in safeguarding democracy, warning against actions capable of destabilising the country.

The national president of NUJ, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya Abdullahi, described the workshop as timely, stressing that the media had a critical role in voter education and credible election reporting.

He appealed to the federal government to support the media industry through intervention programmes, saying stronger media organisations would be better positioned to discharge their democratic responsibilities.

Abdullahi also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and development partners to intensify capacity-building for journalists covering elections.