2027: PRP chieftain urges issue-based campaigns

A chieftain of the Peoples Redemption Party, Yakubu Kingsley, has urged political parties and candidates contesting the 2027 general elections to shun personal attacks, character assassination and divisive rhetoric during campaigns.

Kingsley, who was a presidential aspirant in the PRP, made the call in a statement signed by him and made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s lifting of the ban on campaigns ahead of the elections.

He said the commencement of campaigns should be viewed as an opportunity for candidates to present clear, practical and credible policies capable of addressing the country’s challenges.

“The commencement of campaigns should be seen not as an opportunity for personal attacks, character assassination or the running down of fellow candidates and political parties, but as a solemn responsibility to present to Nigerians clear, practical and credible policies and programmes capable of addressing the nation’s challenges,” he said.

Kingsley urged candidates to make their campaigns issue-based, peaceful and guided by mutual respect, stressing that Nigerians deserved a contest based on ideas, vision, competence and capacity.

He said, “Every candidate should focus on what he or she intends to do differently, how such policies and programmes will be implemented, and the practical solutions they offer to the Nigerian people. Nigeria deserves a contest of ideas, vision, competence and capacity—not a contest of insults, hatred or division.”

The presidential aspirant, who is challenging in court the May 25 PRP primary that produced former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, as the party’s presidential candidate, also called for national unity ahead of the elections.

Kingsley said national unity should not be treated as a political slogan, describing it as the foundation for lasting peace, security, economic progress and national development.

He urged Nigerians to reject attempts to divide communities along religious and ethnic lines, noting that citizens across faiths and ethnic groups shared common interests in peace, justice, security and prosperity.

According to him, criminality should also not be used to stigmatise entire communities.

“Crime, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping have no religion. Criminality has no ethnicity. Whoever commits a crime must be identified and dealt with as an individual or group of criminals under the law, without turning the wrongdoing of a few into a basis for hatred against millions of innocent Nigerians,” he said.

Kingsley said national unity was also an economic necessity, arguing that stability was required for farmers, businesses and industries to thrive. He called for improved access to education, healthcare and infrastructure, as well as policies capable of giving young Nigerians confidence in their future.

On governance, he advocated greater use of technology, data, automation and artificial intelligence in public administration, saying Nigeria could not continue to tackle 21st-century challenges predominantly with outdated systems.

He said the YMK Nigeria Project, which he promotes, was focused on technology-driven governance, improved public service delivery, transparency and accountability, as well as a transition from a consumption-driven economy to one based on production, innovation and value addition.

Kingsley said the project shared a philosophical convergence with the PRP’s emphasis on the welfare, dignity and empowerment of ordinary Nigerians. He urged Nigerians across regions, faiths, ethnic groups and social backgrounds to participate actively in the national conversation ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The task before Nigeria is greater than an election. It is about rebuilding national confidence, restoring trust in public institutions, creating opportunities, strengthening security, modernising the economy and transforming the country’s enormous potential into shared prosperity,” Kingsley said.