The path to the 2027 general elections is becoming clearer and more intense as political parties and candidates seek election or re-election. Campaigns have now begun at all levels of government, shifting internal manoeuvring into open mobilisation in line with the Electoral Act, 2026, and guidelines from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The electoral body announced that campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections began on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, while campaigns for governorship and states’ Houses of Assembly elections commenced on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. The latter cleared candidates in 28 states to hold public rallies and town hall meetings.
Although political manoeuvring and publicity preceded public rallies and town hall meetings, their formal approval has created opportunities for parties to use faith, welfare programmes, regional alliances, grassroots networks and competing economic messages to win voters.
Nigerian politicians have long used varied tactics to win voters, but recent developments ahead of the 2027 elections have intensified the political climate. Key developments include an interfaith prayer in Lagos; the obstruction of Peter Obi’s convoy in Benue; disruptions to political mobilisation in Kaduna; the ADC’s coordinated Northwest strategy; Seyi Makinde’s presidential campaign launch; Omoyele Sowore’s response to the Benue incident; and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s empowerment programme in Imo.
These developments offer an early indication of the issues likely to shape the 2027 campaign.
Lagos State: Faith, Mobilisation and Continuity
The APC launched its Lagos mobilisation with an interfaith prayer at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, where Christian, Muslim and traditional leaders prayed for President Bola Tinubu, Lagos governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat and other party candidates.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the interfaith prayers, called for peaceful elections and reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s re-election. The event reflected the APC’s early strategy of strengthening political structures, grassroots mobilisation and community networks to reinforce its hold on Lagos, a state central to both its national electoral calculations and Tinubu’s political identity.
Lagos also reflects a broader trend in Nigerian campaigning, as political parties increasingly combine faith, government, social programmes and electoral mobilisation. This is especially significant for the APC, which must learn from the 2023 general election, when President Bola Tinubu lost his home state to Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi.
Peter Obi’s Obstruction: Early Warning Signs
While the Lagos gathering appeared consistent with democratic practice, an early warning sign of intolerance and violence emerged in Benue State when youths blocked the convoy of Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Peter Obi on the Makurdi-Gboko road. He was travelling to Yelwata on a commiseration visit to communities affected by violence, and the incident drew nationwide reactions.
The incident drew the attention of the Benue State Police Command, which confirmed the obstruction and announced the arrest of 46 people in connection with the blockade. At a Wednesday press conference in Makurdi, Commissioner of Police Cletus Nwadiogbu said officers deployed for the visit of the former Anambra State governor acted professionally and tactically to prevent an escalation that could have caused deaths and property damage.
However, Obi alleged the involvement of a political aide of the Benue State Governor, while the Benue Government denied any involvement, saying it was not aware of the visit. The competing claims remain unresolved. What is not in dispute, however, is that someone obstructed a presidential candidate’s movement. The Police also confirmed that the NDC informed its State Command a night before the visit.
The incident has raised concerns across political parties because the credibility of the 2027 election will depend not only on the vote but also on candidates’ freedom to travel, campaign and engage voters nationwide. If political strongholds become restricted zones, Nigeria risks turning an electoral contest into a battle for physical access.
The incident drew condemnation from prominent Nigerians and other stakeholders. The NDC described it as a “shameful attack” allegedly coordinated by hired thugs. Governor Seyi Makinde, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, said the blockade marked a “new low” in efforts to silence opposition leaders. He cited Section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of movement nationwide without prior permission from a state government.
Moreover, the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) condemned the blockade and described it as a dangerous development leading up to the 2027 general elections, urging that politicians must be allowed to travel safely without intimidation.
Individuals from different political alliances with Peter Obi, like the presidential candidate of the Africa Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, and the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, among others, have jointly condemned the development.
Kaduna and the Battle for the Streets
Another campaign incident that concerned stakeholders was the disruption of an African Democratic Congress solidarity walk in Kaduna for the party’s governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru.
In a statement by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party alleged that ADC members and supporters were attacked at a Kaduna rally organised by the Arise & Shine Isa Ashiru Support Group to mark the launch of its governorship and State House of Assembly campaigns.
The party alleged that members of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVIS) disrupted the rally and harassed participants. It said phones and other valuables were taken, while two female ADC members were injured and treated at a nearby hospital.
He expressed concern that KADVIS, as a state-supported security outfit, had failed in its duty to maintain order and protect participants at public gatherings. The party alleged that tear gas was fired at its supporters, injuring some and forcing the crowd to disperse.
This development is also a reflection of the possibility of violence and intensity in the state, as it could start raising the political heat in the state.
ADC’s Northwest Unity to Oust the Incumbent and Support Atiku
Amid ongoing political manoeuvring, one of the opposition’s most significant strategic moves is the decision by ADC governorship candidates in the seven Northwest states—Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara—to unite behind the party’s presidential candidate.
At the centre of the ADC presidential candidate’s campaign is a promise to restore the fuel subsidy, which he says would ease the hardship its removal has caused ordinary Nigerians. Endorsing the proposal, the party’s Northwest governorship candidates backed Atiku Abubakar’s pledge and promised to implement a ₦110,000 minimum wage across their seven states if elected.
Their other commitments include a technology-enabled regional security network using drones, a Northwest Regional Security Coordination Centre, an education emergency, greater use of UBEC funding, integration of Almajiri and Tsangaya children into formal education, specialist hospitals in the 21 senatorial districts, expanded primary healthcare, a Regional Youth Fund, vocational training, digital hubs and stronger support for MSMEs.
Meanwhile, Atiku’s promise to restore the fuel subsidy gives the opposition a potent political weapon. Amid the cost-of-living crisis, they have faced pushback from the ruling party and the current administration, with indications that the former vice president does not understand the economy, as they posed questions. How much will the subsidy cost? How will it be financed? How will leakages be prevented? And how will the country avoid returning to the inefficiencies and opacity associated with the old system?
Makinde Offers Another Opposition Proposition
Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has formally opened his campaign office in Abuja on September 7, anchoring his campaign on the theme “Reset Nigeria”. He is also carving out a distinct position in the opposition field. His manifestoes centre on transparency, accountability, and economic reform, with particular emphasis on the petroleum sector.
In his opening statements, Makinde argues that Nigeria’s oil wealth should produce measurable benefits for citizens and has advocated greater transparency around crude supplied to domestic refineries. However, the appearance of Peter Obi at his campaign train generated controversies and mixed reactions, which some believed exhibited confusion; other Nigerians maintained that it was another reminder that opposition politics is entering a period of fluid alliances.
Remi Tinubu’s South-East Empowerment Programme and Electoral Politics
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative brought the familiar use of empowerment programmes in electoral politics into focus during events in Imo State on September 9, 2026, and Anambra State on September 10, adding another dimension to the campaign season.
During her September 9 visit to Owerri, women beneficiaries received business-support equipment, while the state expanded the number of beneficiaries to 2,500. Mrs Tinubu subsequently announced ₦100,000 for each beneficiary in Imo.
Governor Hope Uzodimma used the occasion to reaffirm Imo’s support for President Tinubu’s re-election, while Mrs Tinubu appealed to voters in the Southeast to support her husband.
First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu made a similar visit to Anambra State on Thursday, September 10, 2026. At Chinua Achebe International Airport in Umueri, Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo and his wife, Dr Nonye Soludo, welcomed her.
During her engagements, the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council—representing all 179 communities in the state—honoured the First Lady with the prestigious traditional chieftaincy title of “Ugoeze Anambra” (meaning Queen of Anambra or Royal Eagle). Led by Igwe Chidubem Iweka of Obosi, the royal fathers stated that the title was in recognition of her compassionate, nationwide social impact work.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu officially flagged off the National Community Food Bank Programme for the South-East zone. Held at the Old Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, this launch marks the final rollout of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s (RHI) food intervention programmes across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The programme targets child malnutrition and supports vulnerable groups, including widows, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and nursing mothers.
At a packed and heavily secured Dr Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the visit climaxed with a massive distribution network targeted at 5,000 beneficiaries across all 21 local government areas of Anambra. The Anambra State Government, in partnership with the Progressives United Against Poverty Initiative, funded the items to empower local women and families.
Although the First Lady said she had not yet begun campaigning for her husband, many Nigerians remain sceptical about her claims. The country is set for an eventful period as campaigns for the 2027 elections intensify nationwide.
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