A popular economist and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, CPPE, Muda Yusuf, has warned that violence ahead of the 2027 presidential election could compound Nigeria's existing economic vulnerabilities.
He made this disclosure in a statement on Sunday.
This comes amid a surge in political violence ahead of the 2027 general election.
Recently, it was reported that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Joash Amupitan, was accosted in London, United Kingdom.
Supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, were also attacked in Lagos during a town hall meeting.
Similarly, controversy erupted following an incident involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Area 1 Garbi Central Mosque during Friday prayers.
Reacting, Yusuf, a former Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, said the growing incidence of politically induced violence, intimidation and inflammatory rhetoric raises serious concerns about the implications for economic stability and investor confidence.
"Nigeria cannot afford an electoral process that compounds existing economic vulnerabilities or undermines the gains of ongoing economic reforms," he stated.
He called on the political class to place national economic stability above partisan interests.
"Political competition must not be allowed to degenerate into violence, compromise the neutrality of state institutions or jeopardise the confidence of investors.
"Nigeria's democracy must be strengthened through credible institutions and peaceful political competition, not weakened by violence and institutional partisanship," he stated.
2027: Violence could worsen Nigeria’s economic crisis - Muda Yusuf warns politicians