Get Guardian on GoogleThe Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) expressed grave concern about the increasingly tense political atmosphere as the nation approaches the 2027 general elections, warning against hiccups in the conduct of the polls.
According to SMBLF, “With the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, the country cannot afford an electoral process overshadowed by doubts about institutional integrity, intimidation of political opponents and uncertainty over citizens’ democratic choices.”
The statement signed by the chairman of SMBLE and leader of Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, pointed out, “our most urgent concern is the disturbing discovery of suspected Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated photographs, duplicate entries and records reportedly belonging to unknown persons in the preliminary voters’ register published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)“, saying “these revelations followed public release of registration data and have provoked widespread anxiety about the credibility of the forthcoming polls”.
Other members of the Forum who signed the statement made available to Journalists in Kaduna on Monday, are Dr. Bitrus Pogu President, Middle Belt Forum; Senator John Azuta-Mbata; President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and Ambassador Godknows Igali National Chairman, PANDEF.
Olaitan said, “the SMBLF therefore demands an urgent, independent forensic audit of the voters’ register, by electoral technology specialists, civil society representatives and other qualified stakeholders.”
He explained that “beyond the register, the Commission must demonstrate readiness to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System reliably, protect election infrastructure, train personnel adequately and ensure transparent collation and prompt publication of polling-unit results in accordance with the law. INEC must learn from previous controversies over its usage of technology in result transmission and restore public trust.”
“The SMBLF is also alarmed by reports and video footage of attacks on political figures, including reported incidents involving the Presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Mr Peter Obi in Makurdi and later in , and other candidates in later locations, as well as Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Ekiti State”, Oba Olaitan added.
The statement further stressed, “whatever their political affiliations, no candidate or supporter should face violence for participating in democratic activities. Security agencies must investigate these incidents impartially, identify perpetrators and sponsors where evidence warrants, and bring offenders before the courts.”
“Similarly, the destruction of campaign billboards, posters and other materials is unacceptable. Such conduct violates the spirit of political competition and could escalate into avoidable violence. We further urge the judiciary and all electoral institutions to act with independence and dispatch. Prolonged uncertainty over party leadership and candidate eligibility so close to polling day can deprive voters of meaningful choices and weaken confidence in the democratic system”, Olaitan added.
According to him, For the avoidance of doubt, the SMBLF has not adopted any presidential candidate or political party as the collective choice of the Forum. Our commitment is to a peaceful, credible and inclusive electoral process in which every eligible Nigerian can vote freely, without coercion, inducement or fear.”
