Chidimma Uchegbu, Abuja
With growing concerns over political violence, threats to peaceful participation and compliance with electoral peace commitments ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, the Conflict
Research Network West Africa (CORN West Africa) has called for an actionable, multi-stakeholder peace agenda to translate the National Peace Accord into concrete measures for preventing electoral violence.
The call followed a policy webinar convened by CORN West Africa on 28 October, 2026, titled
“Beyond the Peace Accord: Towards a Peace Agenda for the 2027 Nigeria General Elections.” The webinar brought together researchers, peacebuilding practitioners, policymakers and electoral stakeholders to examine the gaps between political commitments to peaceful elections and the practical measures required to ensure compliance, accountability and peaceful participation throughout the electoral cycle.
With the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for 16 January 2027 and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections for 6 February 2027, participants stressed the urgency of moving beyond ceremonial commitments to sustained action towards electoral peace.
They noted that signing a Peace Accord, while important, does not automatically prevent political intimidation, inflammatory rhetoric, misinformation, hate speech or violence against candidates and supporters.
Professor Babayo Sule of CORN West Africa argued that electoral peace must be approached as a continuous process rather than an event centered on signing peace agreements.
He proposed a National Electoral Compact that would bring together political parties, electoral institutions, security agencies, civil society, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, and other stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels.
The proposed framework would support early warning, rapid response, civic awareness, issue-based campaigning and a credible mechanism for resolving electoral disputes.
Dengiyefa Angalapu, a Research Analyst at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDDWest Africa), emphasised the importance of evidence-driven interventions, urging civil society organisations to systematically document patterns of electoral violence, strengthen engagement with political parties and electoral institutions at the subnational levels, and advocate consistent enforcement of existing laws. CDD-West Africa’s monthly Nigeria Election Security Tracker, produced through the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme, is one of the examples of this approach.
It records election-related incidents, broader insecurity and misinformation, disinformation and hate speech narratives, drawing on election security reporters and fact-checkers in Benue, Kaduna, Katsina and Plateau.
He also highlighted the growing concern of online attacks targeting women candidates, noting their potential to undermine women’s political participation.
The discussion further examined the limitations of voluntary peace agreements without effective compliance and enforcement mechanisms. Participants, including Mr. Fatai Owoseni, a retired Commissioner of Police, emphasised that the National Peace Accord should complement, not replace, existing legal, institutional and security frameworks.
They also underscored the responsibility of political parties, candidates, security institutions, the media and citizens to prevent violence, document violations and demand accountability, irrespective of political affiliation.
“Peaceful elections cannot be secured by signatures alone. They require sustained commitment, vigilance, accountability and coordinated action by all electoral stakeholders, from the national level to our communities,” said Dr. Timipere Felix Allison, a member of CORN West Africa and moderator of the webinar.
The October webinar is the first in the five-part webinar series focused on preventing electoral violence ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
The webinar series on peaceful election will continue through February 2027, providing platform for sustained engagement among electoral stakeholders, civil society, researchers, security institutions, media practitioners and community leaders to translate commitments to peaceful elections into practical action.
For a better society
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