By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Senator David Mark, has warned political actors against turning elections into a do-or-die contest, saying the credibility of the 2027 general elections must be non-negotiable.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the International Republican Institute, IRI, on a pre-election assessment mission, Mark said Nigerians must be allowed to choose their leaders freely, without violence, intimidation, manipulation or the abuse of state institutions.
The warning came against the backdrop of the violence recorded during the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, where no fewer than 30 people were reportedly killed, with Mark saying such incidents had no place in a democratic contest.
“Elections should not be treated as war or a do-or-die affair. They should be a democratic process through which citizens freely choose their leaders and advance their aspirations for development and a better quality of life,” Mark said.
According to him, the ADC was particularly concerned about the abuse of the electoral process by governments in power and, increasingly, by non-state actors, stressing that the party wanted to contest elections in an environment where every vote counted and legitimate mandates were respected.
“For us in the ADC, the credibility of the 2027 elections must be non-negotiable. We expect the electoral process to be transparent, inclusive, peaceful and free from manipulation, intimidation and the abuse of state institutions,” he said.
Mark welcomed IRI’s engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, saying the ADC was prepared to openly share its experiences and concerns as preparations for the 2027 polls gather pace.
Responding, Jenai Cox, African Regional Director of IRI, said the institute was in Nigeria to assess preparations for the 2027 general elections and hear directly from stakeholders about the challenges ahead.
“IRI is here conducting a pre-election assessment mission. Our objective of this mission is to assess the preparations of the 2027 general election that will take place,” she said.
Cox disclosed that members of the mission had recently been in Osun to observe the off-cycle governorship election, while a smaller delegation also visited Ekiti.
She said IRI had been observing elections in Nigeria since the return to democratic rule in 1999, jointly with the National Democratic Institute, NDI, and would conclude its current assessment at the end of the week.
According to her, the mission would subsequently make recommendations based on its observations from the off-cycle elections and consultations with stakeholders in Abuja.
“Our pre-election assessment mission will end at the end of this week, where we will be making some recommendations forward on items we have seen from both off-cycle elections as well as our meetings here with a variety of stakeholders here in Abuja,” Cox said.
Mark said independent assessments by organisations such as IRI could help identify weaknesses in the electoral system ahead of 2027 and strengthen public confidence in the process.
“We believe that an independent and credible assessment by organisations such as IRI can make a significant contribution to identifying the challenges ahead and strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process,” he said.
The IRI delegation was led by its President, Dan Twining, and included former US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs under the Bush administration, Jendayi Frazier; Cox; Sentell Barnes, West Africa Regional Programme Director; Kiely Ford, Programme Officer for Africa; Hugues Mersac, Programme Manager for Africa; Senior Governance Adviser, Sunday Alao; Long-Term Election Analysts, Austin Akers and Leandre Banon; and Baiko Dass and Etty Peter of IRI Nigeria.
The NDI was represented by Sophia Moestrup, Deputy Director, West and Central Africa, and Francis Madugu, Country Director for Nigeria.
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