2027 Elections: Tinubu Says ‘Win or Lose, Nigeria Must Be the Ultimate Winner’

ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu has warned politicians against exploiting ethnic and religious divisions in their campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that elections should not be treated as a do-or-die contest.

The President spoke in Abuja at the signing of the National Peace Accord, where he urged political parties and candidates to pursue peaceful, transparent and issue-based campaigns.

Tinubu, who was represented by SGF Senator George Akume, said the accord should serve as a solemn promise by political leaders to Nigerians that the national interest would take precedence over individual or party ambitions.

He commended the National Peace Committee for its efforts to promote peaceful elections and specifically acknowledged former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.

Tinubu said Nigeria’s electoral process had improved significantly with the introduction of technology.

“The introduction of the permanent voters card and BVAS, an electronic card reader, has eliminated voting manipulation, ballot stuffing, and snatching at polling units,” he said.

The President said election periods had continued to generate anxiety since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 because of the country’s competitive political environment.

However, he argued that improvements in election management had strengthened the confidence of voters.

“With the aid of technology, INEC has recorded remarkable improvement in every election cycle,” he said.

Tinubu said the improvements had helped restore confidence among voters and made politicians more accountable.

“These improvements have restored power to the voters, who are now sure that their vote will count. Politicians are now more accountable to the people because votes count. These polls have also demonstrated our capacity as a people to conduct ourselves with maturity and restraint,” he said.

He pointed to the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun off-season elections held between October 2025 and August 15, 2026, noting that different parties won the contests and that local and international observers described them as free, credible and transparent.

According to him, credible elections also help reduce the number of disputes taken to court.

Tinubu rejects identity politics

The President called on political actors to accept disagreements as part of democratic competition but warned them against using ethnicity and religion to mobilise support.

“But as members of the same household, the same national family, we must never resort to divisive or primordial sentiments of ethnicity or religion as tools for seeking power,” he said.

Tinubu urged politicians to make policies and ideas the centre of their campaigns.

“Let us campaign on superior ideas. Let us debate issues and promote the best policies to expand opportunities for our people and accelerate Nigeria’s journey from a developing nation to a first-world country,” he said.

He also called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media and international partners to play their part in strengthening democracy and promoting good governance.

APC rejects violence and misinformation

Tinubu, through his representative, reaffirmed the APC’s commitment to the National Peace Accord as the campaign season begins.

“As the campaign season kicks off, I commit myself and my party, the All Progressives Congress, to the tenets of this accord. Our party rejects violence, hate speech, the spread of misinformation — including through artificial intelligence — and all forms of incitement, especially via social media,” he said.

He urged other political parties and candidates to make similar commitments to peaceful and transparent elections.

The President said the objective should be to strengthen political stability, social harmony and economic progress.

‘Win or lose, Nigeria must be the ultimate winner’

Tinubu said political competition should never undermine the country’s unity or stability.

“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 said.

He described the signing of the peace accord as a commitment to Nigerians that political leaders would place the country’s interests above personal and partisan ambitions.

“We have gathered today to commit ourselves to a peaceful and transparent electoral process. Signing this peace accord is a solemn pledge to the Nigerian people that we, as leaders, will put the nation’s interest above personal or partisan ambitions,” Tinubu said.

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