By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has declared its readiness for the 2027 general elections as the International Republican Institute, IRI, Pre-Election Assessment Mission commenced consultations with political stakeholders ahead of the polls.
PDP National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, gave the assurance on Monday when he received the IRI delegation at the party’s national headquarters, Wadata House, Abuja.
Mohammed urged the delegation to see the PDP as a political party with a nationwide democratic structure, stressing that it remained committed to participating fully in the 2027 elections.
“But I want to assure you that the PDP is fully ready for the election,” he said.
The PDP chairman cited the August 15 Osun State governorship election as evidence of Nigerians’ willingness to participate in the democratic process when given the opportunity to choose their leaders.
“You were in Osun for the governorship election that took place two days ago, and you can attest to the outcome of the election because the people of Osun turned out en masse to make sure that they made their choice of the person they wanted to be governor of the state,” he said.
Mohammed said the PDP’s nationwide structure remained central to its identity as a people-oriented political organisation, with structures across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and the 774 local government areas.
“We are the Peoples Democratic Party, and we belong to the people of Nigeria. Our yearning and aspiration is to give responsibility to the electorate,” he said.
He added that the party would use its engagement with the IRI delegation to provide further insight into its political structure and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
For the IRI, however, the visit was part of a broader assessment of Nigeria’s political environment ahead of the general elections and was not an endorsement of any political party’s preparedness.
IRI African Regional Director, Jenai Cox, said the delegation was consulting a wide range of stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the pre-election environment, preparations for the polls and the activities of political parties.
“Our pre-election assessment mission delegation is here to learn more from a variety of stakeholders about the pre-election period and preparations ahead of the general election,” Cox said.
She said the mission was assessing the activities of political parties and identifying issues that might require attention as the 2027 general elections draw closer.
Cox added that the mission would present its preliminary findings and recommendations to stakeholders before the end of the week.
“The mission will have an opportunity to share recommendations towards the end of the week with stakeholders, where we will have a preliminary statement available,” she said.
The delegation is led by Jendayi Frazier, a former United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and former US Ambassador to South Africa.
Other members of the delegation include IRI President, Dr Daniel Twining, and West African Regional Programme Director, Sentell Barnes.
The engagement forms part of the IRI mission’s wider consultations with political parties and other stakeholders as it assesses Nigeria’s political environment and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
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