…Party Says It’s Mobilising Nationwide, Vows to Back Free, Fair Polls as IRI Begins Pre-Election Consultations
By Chike Ofili
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared itself fully prepared for the 2027 general elections, saying its structures across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the 774 local government areas are already mobilised for the contest.
The declaration by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections and follows the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, which the PDP leadership said demonstrated Nigerians’ continuing commitment to democratic choice.
The PDP National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, made the declaration on Monday when he received a delegation from the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Nigeria at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Mohammed assured the American delegation that the PDP had been working within the electoral timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and had mobilised its structures in preparation for the elections.
“I want to assure you that the PDP is fully ready for the elections,” he said.
The chairman described the PDP as a party belonging to the Nigerian people, saying its objective was to ensure that voters were given the opportunity to freely determine who should govern them.
“We are the Peoples Democratic Party, and we belong to the people of Nigeria, and our yearning and aspiration is to give responsibility to the electorate,” Mohammed said.
He said the party had maintained its democratic structures across the country for more than two decades and remained committed to strengthening democratic participation.
According to him, the party’s readiness extends across the 36 states, the FCT, and the 774 local government areas.
Mohammed cited the August 15 Osun governorship election as evidence of Nigerians’ willingness to participate in the democratic process, noting the high turnout and the eventual emergence of a winner through the ballot.
“You were in Osun for the governorship election that took place two days ago, and you can attest to the outcome of the election, because the people of Osun turned out en masse to make sure that they made the choice of the person that they want to be the governor of the state,” he told the IRI delegation.
He said the PDP had taken steps to mobilise for the 2027 elections while supporting efforts aimed at ensuring credible polls.
The PDP’s declaration is coming at a critical stage in the political cycle, with parties expected to consolidate their structures, mobilise voters, and prepare for the various stages of the 2027 electoral process.
The IRI delegation, led by its African Regional Director, Jenai Cox, said its visit was aimed at assessing preparations for the elections through consultations with political parties and other stakeholders.
Cox said the mission was engaging a broad range of stakeholders to obtain a clearer picture of the political environment and the level of preparation ahead of the elections.
“Our pre-election assessment mission delegation is here to learn more from a variety of stakeholders about the pre-election period and preparations ahead of the general elections,” she said.
She said the team was assessing the preparations of political parties, the broader political environment, and issues that could affect the conduct of the elections as the country moves closer to the 2027 polls.
The mission, according to Cox, would also examine what political parties were doing in preparation for their campaigns and identify areas requiring greater attention ahead of the elections.
“So, our team that is here is assessing that situation, assessing how preparations are going, what parties are up to as well, what we should be looking for as we get closer to January, and hearing from a variety of stakeholders’ viewpoints,” she said.
Cox disclosed that the IRI mission would present preliminary recommendations to stakeholders at the end of its consultations.
“The mission will have an opportunity to share recommendations towards the end of the week with stakeholders, where we will have a preliminary statement available,” she said.
The PDP leadership welcomed the engagement, which forms part of growing domestic and international scrutiny of Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
With the opposition party now publicly declaring its readiness and promising to support a free and fair process, the statement signals an intensification of the political contest more than a year ahead of the presidential and National Assembly elections.
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