2027: Condemn electoral violence, NRM urges Tinubu

The National Rescue Movement has called on President Bola Tinubu to publicly condemn the rising wave of electoral violence in the country.

The party also said the President should make it clear that political ambition must not be pursued at the expense of Nigerians’ lives.

The National Chairman of the party, Chinedu Obi, who spoke on Friday in Abuja during a sensitisation walk organised by the party, said the rising cases of political violence required a strong intervention from the President.

He argued that statements by the President carried significant weight and could influence the conduct of political actors and their supporters.

He said, “Unequivocally, the President should come out clearly and tell everyone that everything in politics is not about violence. He should tell everyone not to take to arms or resort to violence so that Nigerians will calm down, because the statement of the President in every situation is like a policy statement.

“Remember, it was on the declaration on inauguration day that he stood on the podium to say subsidy is gone. The subsidy not go? That’s the strength of the power of the voice of the President. So the same way we want to hear a President say, please, my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”

He recalled former President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration in 2015 that his political ambition was not worth the life of any Nigerian, saying it helped to calm tensions surrounding the general election.

He said, “Remember, in 2015, there was a prediction that Nigeria would go ablaze. That didn’t happen. The only reason that didn’t happen was that we had a President who said his ambition was not worth the life of any Nigerian. And that brought a sound message to everyone that you don’t need to fight over this.”

The NRM chairman expressed concern over the trend of violence in the political space, insisting that elections should be contests of ideas and policies rather than opportunities for political actors to unleash violence.

He said political leaders, particularly those seeking the highest office in the country, should communicate messages capable of promoting peaceful participation in the electoral process.

According to him, political parties should focus on addressing the country’s economic and security challenges instead of engaging in violence.

“Election is competition of ideas, value proposition, what is it that you’re bringing to the table that will change the course of Nigerians? Today, we buy fuel for as much as nearly N1,500. What do we do to make sure we don’t buy fuel at that level? A lot of our children are not in school. How do we get people to go to school?” he asked.

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Obi also urged Nigerians to reject political parties and candidates associated with violence, stressing that no political ambition was worth the loss of lives.

He said the NRM had adopted peaceful political engagement as part of its campaign strategy, adding that it recently organised a football competition with the Young Progressives Party to demonstrate that political parties could compete without hostility.

The chairman said the party’s women’s summit, which brought together female leaders from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, was aimed at mobilising women at the grassroots ahead of the election.

He said the party was presenting a female presidential candidate, with a young architect as her running mate, to address the underrepresentation of women and youths in Nigerian politics.

Obi also condemned alleged restrictions imposed on opposition parties in some states, citing the reported demand for N215m for the placement of a common billboard.

He said such charges could prevent smaller political parties from effectively publicising their manifestoes and participating in the electoral process.

The NRM chairman called for a level playing field, urging authorities to allow all political parties to sell their programmes to Nigerians without unnecessary restrictions.

Concerns over rising political violence have intensified following a series of attacks on political supporters and campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In October, supporters of the All Progressives Congress travelling to a campaign event in Funtua, Katsina State, were attacked.

Similarly, the convoy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was attacked in Calabar on November 4, while an attack on a political procession organised by NDC supporters in Asaba, Delta State, on November 7, left one person dead and five others injured.

The National Peace Committee has also reported 60 election-related incidents within one month, including violence, threats and intimidation.

The European Union has equally expressed concern over growing reports of political violence, hate speech and intimidation ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that threats to civic freedoms could undermine democratic participation.