• APC restructures plans nationwide as G-100 meets House Minority Caucus, schedules unity summit for August 31, says Nigeria can’t afford another four years of ruling party
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to officially lift ban on political campaigns in line with its timetable and schedule of activities, as it projects that Nigeria’s registered voting population would surpass 100 million in next year’s general election.
INEC had fixed January 16, 2027 for presidential and National Assembly elections, and February 6, 2027 for governorship and House of Assembly polls.
According to the electoral guideline, all public political campaigns, commencing today, August 19, must cease 24 hours prior to election day.
INEC added that with the previous voter register standing at over 93 million, the number was expected to cross 100 million after the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), placing Nigeria as the largest electoral democracy in Africa.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed the latest developments in Abuja at the Joint Implementation Meeting of the Departments of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) and Gender and Inclusivity (G&I) for the 2027 general election.
The meeting was to draft the communication and inclusivity roadmap for the 2027 elections, to ensure the elections were free, fair, credible, peaceful, and inclusive.
Haruna urged INEC information officers to deliver effective publicity to mobilise all eligible citizens.
He stated, “Our job is to give the widest and most effective publicity to all five sets of elections to mobilise all Nigerians of voting age to choose their leaders. This job is at once simple and complex.
“First, we must have a grasp of the language we wish to communicate in and do so with the simplest words and in the most civil manner. Second, we must be knowledgeable about our country’s Constitution, the Electoral Law, and the Commission’s Guidelines.
“We must also be well-informed on other relevant legislation like the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts.”
The national commissioner stressed that building on the success of recent off-cycle elections, including Osun, demanded harder work to deliver the freest and most credible general elections in the country’s history.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Adedayo Oketola, described the joint meeting as timely and vital for drafting an actionable communication and inclusivity roadmap.
Oketola said while technological infrastructure and operational logistics formed the backbone of electoral administration, the two departments constituted the human face and voice of the INEC.
According to him, “You build public trust, simplify complex procedures, and ensure that no eligible citizen is left behind. The antidote to disinformation is proactive, factual, and continuous public engagement.
“Our messaging must move beyond traditional announcement-style publicity into aggressive, daily civic education that demystifies our technology, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Results Viewing (IReV), and reinforces the integrity of the open secret ballot system.”
On gender and inclusivity, Oketola reiterated that electoral access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women, youths, and elderly voters remained a constitutional right.
He added, “From the deployment of Braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses to prioritising vulnerable queues and expanding youth participation through Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), 2027 must set a new benchmark for electoral access in Nigeria.”
APC Restructures Plans Nationwide
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) assured its members that it would soon unveil a detailed, nationwide campaign programme as campaigns officially opened today nationally.
The ruling party had earlier scheduled today, August 19, for the commencement of political campaigns, but, reportedly, shelved it.
Speaking with journalists yesterday in Abuja after the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting that lasted for three hours, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, revealed that the party was deliberately structuring its strategy before hitting the stump.
Morka said, “August 19 is the date fixed by INEC for all parties to start the presidential and National Assembly campaign. There is no law that says we must start on that day. The only thing is, no political party is permitted to start ahead of the day.”
He explained that the ruling party was prioritising thorough preparation and consultations over a rushed rollout.
Morka stated, “The party is coming up with a comprehensive and well-thought-out nationwide campaign schedule after necessary consultation with critical stakeholders and affected candidates. There is no law that says we must start on Wednesday.”
G-100 Meets House Minority Caucus, Schedules Unity Summit for August 31
In another development, Nigerian opposition parties, under the aegis of the G-100 initiative, and the minority caucus of the House of Representatives resolved to work together and present a united front to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The opposition parties also rescheduled the national unity summit, earlier fixed for August 18, to August 31 in Abuja.
At the meeting with the leadership of the minority caucus held at the National Assembly complex, the of G-100 and former National Vice Chairman, North-west of APC, Dr. Salihu Lukman, said there was a need to form a united front ahead of the 2027 elections if they were to stand a chance against APC.
Lukman stated that the group, representing various opposition political parties, including Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), aimed to prevent fragmentation that previously benefited the ruling APC.
He maintained that the primary objective remained negotiating a common platform to ensure a cohesive challenge against the current administration.
Lukman expressed concern that opposition parties were currently too fragmented to be effective, adding that the main objective was to avoid repeating the 2023 election scenario, which they believed handed victory to the ruling APC.
He stated, “As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented, and if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to repeat the 2023 scenario, and it’s almost like a case of handing over victory to the ruling party, and then we go back to square one.
“And we feel, given the situation the country is facing today, the country cannot afford another four years of APC government, and that whatever it will take to get our leaders back together to do the needful and begin to work together to ensure victory in the 2027 election, we need to do it.”
Lukman revealed that the group had consulted with presidential candidates, running mates, and national chairmen of the six involved parties, namely, ADC, NDC, PDP, APM, PRP, and SDP.
He said, “We presented our concern and insisted that the only pathway to victory is for leaders to come together and begin to negotiate a common front on the basis of which the 2027 election will be contested, and like we reported in the press statement we issued, we got very cordial responses from almost all the leaders.”
Lukman stressed that it was on that basis that the date for the summit was announced.
He explained, “The summit was to take place today, but some of the leaders of the political parties got back to us and appealed that today, they are signing the peace accord with the National Peace Committee, and requested that we postpone it.
“We come to you again to say we have shifted the summit to 31st August. We don’t want to proceed alone. There are many Nigerians who have indicated good support, and we want to work with everybody. This is not about us; it’s about the country.
“We are appealing to all leaders who have agreed, we should all come and join hands together, and ensure that we support our leaders from the different parties to come together and agree to work towards having a common front for the 2027 election, in order to guarantee victory against APC.”
Former member of the House, Hon. Sergius Ogun, said it was important for the members of the opposition to speak with one voice ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ogun stated, referring to Lukman, “Like he rightly said, the weakest of us can defeat this president. But if we come together, it will be swifter, sweeter, and more pleasurable, and we feel we should bring the house together, have a common front.
“When we can speak with one voice, because today we have only one individual and one party tormenting this whole country, and the earlier we come together as one body and speak for Nigerians, the better for all of us. That’s basically the purpose of this group.”
Leader of the caucus, Hon. Fred Agbedi, said the goals of G-100 aligned with the objectives of the minority parties in the House of Representatives.
Agbedi said, “The last time we met, we told you that you are welcome to a friendly point because, as minorities, that was our objective, and because of that, a number of us haven’t travelled since we went on vacation.
“We decided that we must go around all the parties and the presidential candidates and the other members to make sure that we come together and create a strong and viral opposition for the 2027 election.
“This is a marriage of convenience, and we believe that we have keyed in already individually and collectively as opposition parties in the House of Representatives. In particular, we assure you that we’re going to work together. The minority leadership is here with you, and we ensure that we work together to salvage Nigeria.”