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From Scholastic Hir, Makurdi; Tony John, Port Harcourt; Noah Ebije, Kaduna; Okey Sampson, Umuahia and Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The presidential and National Assembly campaigns for the 2027 elections kicked off on August 19. In this report, some Nigerians suggested what the campaign issues should be.
Issues should be on how to address insecurity, economy – Alfred Buter, business consultant; Makurdi
The main issues for 2027 should be money and security. Everything is expensive now; food, transport, housing, even data. People need jobs and a government that will bring down prices and stabilise the dollar. We’re also tired of kidnapping and insecurity. We need leaders who will actually protect us and make our communities safe.
Apart from that, we need light. Public power supply is still a problem. Our schools and hospitals need to work too. For National Assembly members, we don’t just want them to go to Abuja and disappear. We want laws that will help us, oversight on government spending, and projects in our communities that we can see and touch.
Security has to take top priority – Joshua Chorbe, humanitarian worker; Makurdi
Above everything else, security has to take top priority in this campaign. Insecurity has hit virtually every corner of life, and people just want to live in safe communities where they’re treated fairly and given a fair shot. We need campaign commitments that are grounded, realistic, and backed by evidence. In that way, we actually have a benchmark to hold our leaders accountable.
Security isn’t isolated; it’s the engine for economic life. When you get security right, you unlock trade and create real economic opportunities. The core challenge for every candidate right now should be to show us their exact plan to boost income opportunities, especially for vulnerable groups who desperately need sustainable self-reliance. Those should be the campaign issues.
We want to see, hear problem solving campaigns-Sunday Oibe, Chairman, Northern states Christian group; Kaduna
The 2027 elections should be issue-based campaigns and nothing more. Nigerians are tired of the old order. What will be the new ideas that the leaders-to-be bring to the table? No rhetoric, no bogus promises, rather, we want to see and hear problem solving issue-based campaigns. We want to see and hear about new innovations, science and technological based issues. We want empirically evidence-based campaign issues. We don’t want Indomie, Agbado, rice, Maggi, soap campaign-based promises anymore. Nigerians are ready to support only candidates with mental and physically mobile driven ability come 2027. We are tired of the old order.
Candidates should explain what he or she intends to do: how, when and with what resources – Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, politician; Ijumu
I expect it to be a campaign of ideas rather than insults, policies rather than propaganda, competence rather than entitlement, and issues rather than personalities.
Our political leaders have enormous responsibility to the Nigerian people. Millions of citizens are struggling with the cost of living, insecurity, unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, poor electricity supply, limited access to quality healthcare and education, and declining economic opportunities. These realities should define the political conversation. Therefore, I expect candidates to campaign vigorously, but responsibly. We can disagree over policies without attacking one another’s ethnicity, religion, region, family or personal dignity.
Nigerians therefore deserve more than slogans and political attacks from those seeking to occupy Aso Rock.
I expect every presidential candidate to present a clear and realistic programme for governing Nigeria.
Every candidate should explain not only what he or she intends to do, but how, when and with what resources it will be done.
The economic hardship being experienced by ordinary Nigerians cannot be ignored during this campaign.
Therefore, I expect every presidential and National Assembly candidate to address the question of purchasing power and household welfare. Economic reforms should ultimately translate into improved living conditions. I also expect candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives, (of which I am one) to be honest with Nigerians about what the legislature can and cannot do.
Candidates should explain how they intend to address our numerous problems – Douglas Bright, student; Port Harcourt
The 2027 election campaigns should focus on issues that directly affect Nigerians’ daily lives: economic growth and job creation, reduction of inflation and cost of living, security, electricity and other basic infrastructure, education, healthcare, and food security. Candidates should clearly explain how they intend to address these problems rather than relying mainly on personalities, party loyalty, or political attacks.
There should also be strong emphasis on good governance, transparency, accountability, electoral reform, and strengthening democratic institutions. Campaigns should promote peaceful political participation, issue-based debates, and realistic, measurable promises, giving voters enough information to judge candidates on their competence, integrity, track record, and proposed solutions.
Candidates must focus heavily on structural economic recovery – Clement Emmanuel, student; Port Harcourt
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaigns present a crucial opportunity to pivot from rhetoric to actionable, citizen-centred platforms. Candidates must focus heavily on structural economic recovery, specifically addressing inflation, stabilising the currency, and creating sustainable youth employment, while prioritising comprehensive security sector reforms to safeguard lives and agricultural productivity across all regions.
Beyond economic and physical security, the discourse must centre on strengthening institutional integrity, educational advancement, and healthcare infrastructure. Voters should demand concrete policy frameworks regarding transparent governance, anti-corruption measures, and reliable power generation, ensuring that campaigns offer measurable solutions rather than temporary promises for the nation’s future.
Candidates should tell Nigerians economic measures they will put in place to end hardship – Charles Ogbonna, broadcaster; Aba
The world over, electioneering is always issue-based, when politicians tell the electorate what they are going to do to better their lives if they win the election. But here in Nigeria, what we have seen over the years during campaigns are politicians heaping insults on their opponents instead of telling the people what they have in stock for them should they win the election.
As the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has given the green light for campaigns to start, politicians should tell the people what they stand to gain should they win the election. They should be able to tell the masses in concrete terms the economic measures they will put in place to end the hardship in the country.
Politicians should address sufferings of Nigerians- Emeka Vitus Akasike, businessman, Aba
In Nigeria, over the years, politicians have during election campaigns promised the masses heaven on earth, and after winning, embarked on things that have no bearing to the betterment of their lives.
In most cases, they go about attacking their opponents during electioneering instead of dwelling on issues when religiously implemented will add value to their lives.
My own suggestion is that Nigerians are suffering so much; politicians should come up with campaign issues that will turn things around and better their lives.
This is the type of campaign issues Nigerians want to hear this time around, things that will reduce their sufferings and make them happy
Candidates should focus on issues that affect Nigerians – Dr. Harry Omorogbe, lecturer; Okada.
On the issues of campaign for 2027, my candid advice to all participating candidates is to first address any of the burning issues that Nigerians are interested in.
And such campaign should be a campaign that directly affects the yearning and aspiration of Nigerians, not campaign of calumny, not campaign of religiosity, not campaign of ethnicity, not campaign of targeting individual or character assassination. But let the campaign be on ideology, let it be on ideas that will solve our problem.
Candidates should talk on how to address insecurity, fix bad roads -Fortune Amoforitse, lecturer; Okada
We’ve suffered a lot in this country. So, if any issue is supposed to be raised regarding the campaign, it should be on how to better the country as a whole. If you look at the South-South Zone now, you’ll find that the only place we have little good roads that you can drive is from Lagos to Benin. Roads from Benin to Warri; from Benin to Abuja; from Benin to Asaba, are all death traps. These are pressing issues. These issues should be deliberated upon during campaigns.
I’m not saying this for some politicians to come and use it and campaign and at the end of the day, when they win, they will not do what they are supposed to do. Making the lives of the people good, providing social amenities, and trying to curb insecurity, are some of the issues that need serious attention, as we speak. If all these things are addressed, farmers will go to farm and we’ll have food, and people can wake up and go to work and come back home safely.
Then for the road, accidents will reduce drastically, if someone is lucky to get to his destination and not kidnapped. We are fixing cars every day because of bad roads. The issue should be on how to fix these problems I have highlighted.
