From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has advised politicians to respect their opponents and ensure that campaigns for the 2027 general election were issue based.

Speaking on Wednesday during the 195th State Executive Council meeting in Government House and during the flag-off of the second tenure bid of President Bola Tinubu at the Oxbow Lake in Yenagoa by a political group, PBAT Door to Door Movement, Governor Diri stated that the charge was against the backdrop of commencement of campaigns for next year’s elections.

The Bayelsa governor urged members of the group to emulate President Tinubu, whom he described as a democrat, by being persuasive rather than combative with those who hold contrary opinions, insisting that democracy encourages people to hold divergent views.

He expressed optimism that the South-South geo-political zone and Nigerians will re-elect President Tinubu.

He hailed the grand patron of the movement, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, for the initiative, stressing that the President deserved a second term to enable him consolidate on the gains of his first tenure.

He contended that Tinubu was laying a solid foundation for the development of Nigeria beyond his tenure and urged Nigerians to support him in the interest of national development.

He recalled how the President ensured a free and fair election during his second tenure governorship bid in November 2023 and in last Saturday’s governorship poll in Osun State, stressing that Tinubu’s democratic credentials were not in doubt.

Governor Diri also congratulated his Osun counterpart, Governor Ademola Adeleke, on his victory in the election.

His words: “The purpose of our gathering today is to restate without equivocation our unflinching loyalty to the re-election of President Tinubu and to flag off the South-South zone of the PBAT Door to Door Movement.

“I charge the leadership of the PBAT Movement to be inclusive and persuasive in your engagements. Let our campaigns be issue-based. The Renewed Hope Agenda is work in progress to make Nigeria better.

“Our message to the South South and the country is to give the President a second term to consolidate on his achievements. The South-South zone is critical in project Nigeria.

“Let me acknowledge my dear brother, Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, who is giving back. He is our proud son and brother of this zone. I acknowledge his contributions to the re-election bid of Mr. President.”

Chairman of the event, Chief Lambert Ototo, said Tinubu has done well and will do better if re-elected.

In his remarks, South South Coordinator of the PBAT Door to Door Movement, Pastor Reuben Wilson, expressed appreciation to zonal state coordinators and those who contributed to the success of the event.

He said the movement was formed by Ekpemupolo to galvanise support for Tinubu, who he maintained deserved the support of people of the region based on the love he has shown in terms of appointments and projects.

Speaking on behalf of state coordinators in the region, the Bayelsa State Coordinator, Hon. Daniel Charles, said the zone was united for Tinubu’s re-election.

Also, chairman of the state All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Warman Ogoriba, said the South-South was known for following through on issues on a united front, pledging that the President will record an unprecedented number of votes from the region.

Ogoriba charged the coordinators and members of the movement not to rest on their achievements but to work until Tinubu is re-elected.

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri has inaugurated the presidential and National Assembly campaigns of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Fintiri, represented by his Deputy, Prof.

Kaletapwa Farauta, on Wednesday, in Yola urged Adamawa residents to vote for APC candidates at all levels during the elections.

Addressing the crowd Farauta commended President Bola Tinubu’s policies and programmes, describing them as laudable.

She said the campaign inauguration provided an opportunity to appreciate Tinubu for his efforts to reposition Nigeria for progress and development.

According to her, the state government remains committed to supporting Tinubu and all APC candidates, assuring the party of its unwavering support.

Farauta urged party supporters to vote for APC candidates from the presidential to the state level to ensure victory in the 2027 elections.

She also announced plans for door-to-door campaigns across the state to mobilise voters and secure victory for all APC candidates.

“We should all vote for APC from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

“We will go door-to-door, house to house, village to village and stand shoulder to shoulder to ensure that APC wins overwhelmingly in Adamawa State,” she said.

The APC Chairman in Adamawa, Alhaji Bello Madagali, thanked party members and supporters for their impressive turnout at the campaign inauguration.

Madagali called for sustained campaigns across the nooks and crannies of the state to mobilise support for the party’s presidential and National Assembly candidates.

Similarly, Zakari Hashimu, North-East Zonal Coordinator, P- BAT Door-to-Door Movement, commended APC members and supporters for their commitment to the party.

Hashimu pledged that the movement would mobilise 10 million votes for President Tinubu to enable him consolidate on the gains of his administration.

APC Senatorial candidate for Adamawa Central, Mustapha Salihu, who spoke on behalf of National Assembly candidates, described the inauguration as the beginning of a new era for Nigeria.

Salihu urged Nigerians to support Tinubu, APC National Assembly candidates and other party flag bearers to sustain ongoing development initiatives.

He thanked Tinubu for providing a platform for the candidates to present their programmes to the electorate, while citing the administration’s people-oriented policies and development initiatives.

By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu and former President Goodluck Jonathan have called for restraint and responsible political conduct ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with both leaders warning, from different perspectives, against practices capable of undermining democratic stability.

Tinubu, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, spoke in Abuja at the signing of the peace accord ahead of the 2027 elections.

He urged political parties and candidates to reject violence, hate speech, misinformation and the use of ethnicity and religion to gain political advantage.

Declaring that elections should not be treated as a battle for survival, the President said, “Let us remember that elections are not a do-or-die affair. We are partners in the project of nation-building. Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner.”

He called on politicians to campaign on ideas, debate policies and place the national interest above personal or partisan ambitions. Tinubu also pledged the commitment of the All Progressives Congress to peaceful and transparent elections, including opposition to incitement and misinformation, particularly on social media.

The President noted that Nigeria’s electoral process had improved with the deployment of technology by the Independent National Electoral Commission, citing the Permanent Voter Cards and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System as measures that have helped reduce manipulation, ballot stuffing and snatching.

According to him, the off-cycle elections conducted in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun between October 2025 and August 15, 2026 demonstrated the country’s capacity to conduct credible elections. He said the different outcomes in the states showed that political parties could win through a transparent process, while credible elections could reduce post-election disputes.

But Jonathan, in a statement titled “Osun and the Need to Set New Boundaries for Political Conduct in Off-Cycle Elections,” raised a different but related concern over the growing involvement of powerful political figures in state elections.

The former president called for an urgent national stakeholders’ engagement to address what he described as the increasing practice of serving governors, senior public officials, party leaders and other political heavyweights descending on states during off-cycle elections, often accompanied by large numbers of aides and security personnel.

While commending INEC, security agencies, political parties and the people of Osun for the peaceful conduct of the recent governorship election, Jonathan warned that excessive political mobilisation on Election Day could create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation and undue pressure.

He recalled similar developments during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections, saying that as president at the time, he ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the affected states.

Jonathan argued that political parties have every right to mobilise supporters and deploy legitimate structures, but warned that overwhelming displays of political and governmental power could undermine free and peaceful competition.

He also cautioned that if the practice becomes normal, opposing parties could begin matching political influence with political influence, turning elections into battles for political survival rather than contests for the people’s mandate.

The former president therefore urged the National Peace Committee to convene a broad stakeholders’ meeting involving political parties, INEC, security agencies, the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations and the media.

He said such a dialogue would help establish clear boundaries for political conduct before practices considered unusual today become accepted as normal.

While Tinubu’s message centred on preventing ethnic, religious and violent politics, Jonathan’s intervention focused on the conduct and influence of powerful political actors during elections. Together, their interventions underscore growing concerns over how political competition is managed as Nigeria moves towards the 2027 general elections.