The All Progressives Congress (APC) is challenging opposition parties in Nigeria to present their manifestos and engage it in policy debates ahead of the 2027 general elections, rather than focus on personal attacks against President Bola Tinubu.
The National Chairman of APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, threw the challenge when the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development’s Council of the Wise, led by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, visited the APC National Working Committee for an advocacy engagement on peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.
According to him, political parties should prioritize discussions on economic development, infrastructure, security and other issues affecting Nigerians instead of allowing personal attacks to dominate political campaigns.
The APC chairman said political parties should explain how they intended to address Nigeria’s challenges instead of concentrating on insults and allegations against the President.
He also referenced the case of convicted Nigerian fraudster Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, while questioning the opposition’s focus on Tinubu’s past rather than the policies and programmes of the administration.
“If you have an opposition, place your roadmap. Place your plan before us. We have got to place our own work plan. What do we want to do for Nigeria?”, Yilwatda asked.
He said the APC was prepared to engage its opponents in intellectual discussions on competing policy proposals, adding that Nigerians deserved to assess political parties based on their plans for the country.
“We are ready for discussion and engagement with them. We are prepared to engage them in any form of intellectual discourse”, he said.
The APC chairman also questioned what he described as the different standards applied by opposition parties to electoral outcomes, arguing that they often challenged the credibility of elections when they lost but accepted the process when they won.
He cited the APC’s experiences in elections it lost, saying the party had accepted defeats in several contests and returned to review its strategies rather than continually attacking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Yilwatda said the ruling party had also examined its internal disputes and electoral setbacks as part of efforts to strengthen its structures ahead of the 2027 polls.
He disclosed that the APC recently held a three-day retreat in Maiduguri, Borno State, where party leaders reviewed elections they had lost, examined the reasons for the defeats and discussed ways to resolve grievances among members.
According to him, internal disagreements and unresolved grievances had contributed to some of the party’s electoral setbacks, prompting the leadership to focus on improving cohesion and internal processes.
He said the party had adopted a 14-pillar framework for assessing the preparedness of its state structures, with peaceful elections included among its priorities.
“We are committed to ensuring that we have a peaceful election in 2027,” he said.
Yilwatda added that the party had directed its structures to report potential threats of violence to security agencies and INEC before they escalated into crises, rather than wait for violence to occur on election day.
He said the APC was working to prevent electoral violence and encourage political participation through grassroots mobilisation.
The chairman defended the administration’s development agenda, citing infrastructure projects, deep seaports, the coastal highway, gas infrastructure, electricity reforms and digital connectivity as initiatives intended to support economic growth.
He challenged opposition parties to present alternative proposals for addressing Nigeria’s economic and developmental challenges.
“If you go to this political party, tell them to do less of insults. Yes, we’ll discuss ideas. Let’s go to the table and chat,” he added.
Yilwatda maintained that national unity should take precedence over partisan interests, warning that political parties could not function effectively in a country destabilised by violence.
Earlier, Ariwoola urged the APC leadership to ensure that its candidates, officials and supporters complied with electoral laws and the party’s constitution and code of conduct.
He warned against hate speech, inflammatory statements and other practices capable of provoking violence during political campaigns, stressing that the conduct of political parties would be critical to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
Ariwoola said political parties had a responsibility to strengthen internal democracy and ensure that their candidates and supporters demonstrated maturity, responsibility and mutual respect throughout the electoral process.
The former CJN recalled that Nigeria’s electoral history had been marked by political thuggery, vote-buying, ballot-box stuffing, hate speech and other forms of malpractice, which had undermined public confidence in elections.
He cited the violence that followed the 2011 general elections, during which more than 1,000 people were reportedly killed, particularly in northern states, as a reminder of the consequences of poorly managed electoral contests.
Ariwoola said the Council of the Wise was established by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development in 2014, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, to engage political parties and other stakeholders in promoting peaceful and credible elections.
He explained that the council had played intervention and mediation roles during previous election cycles, including those of 2015, 2019 and 2023, through engagements with political leaders and other stakeholders across the country.
The council was reconstituted in June 2026 under his chairmanship to continue its advocacy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ariwoola urged Yilwatda and members of the APC National Working Committee to demonstrate leadership by ensuring that the party’s candidates, officials and supporters conducted themselves responsibly before, during and after the elections.
He also called on Nigerians to turn out in large numbers to vote peacefully for candidates of their choice, saying credible elections remained essential to democratic consolidation, national unity and sustainable development.
Ariwoola expressed hope that political parties would learn from past electoral challenges and work collectively to ensure that the 2027 elections were free, fair, transparent and peaceful.
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