NRM National Chairman Prince Chinedu Obi Calls for Issue-Based Campaigns, Credible Elections Ahead of 2027
The National Chairman of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Prince Chinedu Obi, has joined electoral stakeholders in calling for credible elections and issue-based campaigns that connect political debate with the everyday concerns of Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi, who also serves as Director-General of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), represented IPAC National Chairman, Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, at the launch of the National Orientation Agency’s nationwide grassroots mobilisation campaign in Abuja on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
Held at the NAF Conference Centre and Suites, Kado, the event brought together political parties, electoral officials, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, and representatives of government institutions.
The campaign’s theme was “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Future: Say No to Apathy, Vote Buying and Violence. Let’s Build a United Nigeria in 2027.”
Connecting Elections to Everyday Concerns
The call for meaningful political participation raises fundamental questions about what Nigerians should expect from those seeking public office: how families can afford essential goods, how young people can secure productive employment, how communities can live safely, and how schools, hospitals and other public services can better serve citizens.
These questions should shape the electoral conversation. Issue-based campaigns give voters an opportunity to assess proposed solutions, examine candidates’ competence and judge how their plans would improve everyday life.
Delivering the goodwill message on behalf of the IPAC National Chairman, Obi emphasised the importance of bringing political engagement closer to the people.
“Grassroots mobilisation serves as the foundational bridge between political platforms and the everyday realities of voters as we approach the 2027 polls,” he said.
The address stressed that rural residents, women and young people must have an active role in shaping Nigeria’s democratic future. It also presented voter education as a continuing responsibility that extends beyond election day.
Connecting the Debate to NRM’s Blueprint
For NRM, the call for issue-based campaigns provides an opportunity to bring its blueprint into the public conversation and subject its proposals to citizens’ scrutiny.
The connection is practical: the concerns Nigerians raise in their homes, workplaces and communities should form the questions against which political programmes are assessed.
What does each proposal seek to achieve? How would it be implemented? How would citizens measure progress and hold elected leaders accountable?
Read alongside the call for informed participation, NRM’s blueprint offers a basis for that discussion. Presenting it clearly to voters—and explaining how its proposals respond to their concerns—would help turn grassroots mobilisation into substantive engagement on the country’s future.
Credible elections make that engagement meaningful by allowing citizens to choose between competing programmes and demand accountability from those entrusted with public office.
From Transactional Politics to Accountable Leadership
A central concern in the IPAC address was the damage caused by vote buying and electoral inducements.
“Our politics has become transactional instead of transformational,” Obi said, delivering Dantalle’s remarks.
The message linked this pattern to voter apathy, electoral violence, the emergence of incompetent leaders and poor governance.
The warning speaks directly to the relationship between elections and public welfare. Short-term inducements can weaken the scrutiny that candidates and parties should face over their records, competence and proposals.
For NRM, connecting its blueprint to public debate would help keep attention on the substance of governance: the choices leaders would make, the results they would pursue and the standards by which citizens should judge them.
The IPAC address urged parties and candidates to build their campaigns around peaceful, substantive engagement.
“IPAC urges political parties and their candidates to imbibe issue-based campaigns and eschew politics of bitterness,” Obi said.
Credible Choices and a Level Playing Field
For NRM and other parties participating in the democratic process, meaningful competition requires an electoral environment in which voters can hear competing ideas, assess candidates fairly and make their choices without intimidation.
The IPAC message called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive elections, while providing a level playing field for all political parties and candidates.
“The 2027 general election is a defining moment for Nigerians. Votes must count and the outcome must reflect the will of the people in whom sovereignty resides,” Obi said on behalf of Dantalle.
Obi’s participation highlighted the shared responsibility of political parties and electoral institutions to protect citizens’ ability to choose their leaders and influence the direction of government.
Peaceful Participation and Reliable Information
Speaking at the event, NOA Director-General, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, described the campaign as strictly non-partisan. He said the agency would deploy its structures across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to encourage informed and peaceful participation.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, also warned against disinformation that could discourage voting, undermine public confidence or provoke violence.
For citizens, the task ahead involves registering to vote, seeking reliable information, examining party programmes and participating peacefully. For political parties, it requires presenting clear proposals, answering difficult questions and earning public confidence through their ideas and conduct.
As preparations for 2027 continue, connecting voter education with serious discussion of party blueprints can help citizens make informed choices about Nigeria’s future.
The IPAC address delivered by Obi captured that shared obligation: “Nation building is a collective responsibility.”
