PRP PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL CALLS FOR CREDIBLE, VIOLENCE-FREE 2027 POLLS AMID RISING HARDSHIP

A presidential hopeful of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Engr. (Dr.) Yakubu Mohammed Kingsley, has called for credible, peaceful and violence-free elections in 2027, warning that no political ambition should be allowed to undermine Nigeria’s unity and stability.

Kingsley made the appeal in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, where he also expressed concern over worsening economic hardship, rising cost of living, unemployment and insecurity confronting Nigerians.

He said as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, the country’s overriding priority should be preserving peace and ensuring the credibility of the electoral process rather than who eventually emerges president.

“The greatest question before us today is not whether President Bola Ahmed Tinubu secures another term in office, nor whether any other presidential candidate emerges victorious. The most important question is whether Nigeria will remain united, peaceful, stable and stronger after the 2027 general elections,” he said.

According to him, millions of Nigerians are battling inflation, declining purchasing power, unemployment, kidnapping, terrorism and communal conflicts, making it imperative for political leaders to avoid actions capable of aggravating existing tensions.

“Families struggle daily to put food on their tables, businesses battle for survival, while many young people are searching for hope,” he said.

Kingsley urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, fellow presidential hopefuls and political leaders across party lines to conduct issue-based campaigns and prevail on their supporters to reject violence, hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric.

“No Nigerian blood should be shed because of politics. Politics should never become a reason for violence, hatred or destruction. No political ambition is worth the life of a single Nigerian,” he said.

The PRP presidential hopeful, who is challenging the outcome of the party’s presidential primary that produced former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke as its candidate, stressed that elections should remain a peaceful contest of ideas and not a “do-or-die affair.”

He also appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, civil society organisations, religious bodies, traditional institutions and the media to discharge their constitutional responsibilities with professionalism, impartiality and patriotism to guarantee credible polls.

Kingsley further called on religious leaders, traditional rulers, women and youth groups, community leaders and Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides to pray and work for peaceful, free and fair elections.

He reaffirmed his commitment to issue-based politics and respect for the outcome of a transparent and credible electoral process, expressing optimism that Nigeria would emerge from the 2027 elections stronger, more united and more prosperous.