The chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Lagos State, Temilola Akinade, has urged political parties and their supporters to embrace peaceful campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ms Akinade, in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, cautioned against bitter and violent campaigns, urging political actors across the state to conduct themselves with discipline, maturity, and respect before, during, and after the elections.

Presidential campaigns begin on Wednesday, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 2027 elections timetable.

She called on political parties, candidates, supporters, and other stakeholders to embrace sportsmanship, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence as preparations and campaign activities intensify.

“As INEC lifts the ban on presidential campaigns ahead of 2027, we must jettison any attempts to bring bitterness into electioneering.

“We must avoid bitter politics and campaigns this time around. No life should be lost because we want to retain or wrestle power.

“Life is sacred. Let us not, because of politics, throw our city into unnecessary chaos. We must avoid those things that divide us, especially in a state like Lagos,” the IPAC boss said.

Ms Akinade said the campaign preparation period provided an opportunity for political parties and stakeholders to properly organise, coordinate and present their programmes and political agendas to the electorate.

She cautioned that political activities must not become a battlefield or an avenue for physical confrontation, provocation, insults, or intimidation violence.

Ms Akinade urged political parties and their supporters to respect one another irrespective of political affiliation and avoid provocative statements, abusive language and unnecessary confrontations.

She said such conduct could undermine the peace and stability of the electoral process.

She also called on political parties to take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters by ensuring that campaign activities were conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.

According to her, political differences should never degenerate into personal conflicts.

Ms Akinade said, “Let us compete with ideas, not violence; with policies, not insults; and with respect, not confrontation.

“We appeal to all political parties, candidates and stakeholders to make the forthcoming campaign and electoral activities peaceful and orderly.

“We must be law-abiding, demonstrating our commitment to democratic values, electoral integrity and the rule of law. Again, no political ambition is worth the peace, security and unity of the people.”

Ms Akinade also reminded political actors that while parties might have different ideologies, programmes and political interests, they remained stakeholders in the same democratic process.

She stressed that the peace, security, and unity of Lagos State and the country should remain paramount above individual or partisan political ambitions. 

(NAN)