Tinubu Warns Politicians: No Ethnic or Religious Politics Ahead of 2027

President Bola Tinubu has warned political parties and their candidates against exploiting ethnic and religious sentiments to gain advantage in the 2027 general elections.

Tinubu issued the warning in Abuja during the signing of a peace accord ahead of the elections, urging political actors to place Nigeria’s interest above personal and partisan ambitions.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the President called on political parties to commit to peaceful, transparent and issue-based campaigns.

He commended the National Peace Committee, led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, for its continued efforts to promote peaceful elections since 2014.

Tinubu also highlighted improvements in Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly the use of technology such as the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which he said had strengthened the credibility of elections and restored confidence in the power of voters.

According to him, the recent off-season elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states demonstrated that different political parties could emerge victorious through a transparent electoral process.

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The President urged politicians to campaign based on ideas, policies and their vision for the country rather than resorting to division.

“It is natural during campaigns to disagree as opponents and advocate competing governing visions for our country. We may exchange occasional political jabs,” he said.

“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.”

Tinubu further pledged the commitment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rejecting violence, hate speech, misinformation, including AI-generated misinformation, and incitement during the campaign season.

He urged other political parties to make similar commitments, stressing that elections should not be treated as a do-or-die affair.

“Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner,” the President said.

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