The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, has expressed concern following the increasingly tense political atmosphere as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.
"With the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, the country cannot afford an electoral process overshadowed by doubts about institutional integrity, intimidation of political opponents and uncertainty over citizens' democratic choices," SMBLF said in a statement on Monday.
The statement is jointly signed by HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Chairman SMBLF and Leader of Afenifere; Dr. Bitrus Pogu, President, Middle Belt Forum; Senator John Azuta-Mbata, President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and Ambassador Godknows Igali, National Chairman, Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF.
The statement noted that the most urgent concern is the disturbing discovery of suspected artificial intelligence, AI-generated photographs, duplicate entries and records reportedly belonging to unknown persons in the preliminary voters' register published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
"These revelations followed public release of registration data and have provoked widespread anxiety about the credibility of the forthcoming polls," SMBLF noted.
The forum therefore demanded an urgent, independent forensic audit of the voters' register, by electoral technology specialists, civil society representatives and other qualified stakeholders, saying that beyond the register, INEC must demonstrate readiness to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, reliably, protect election infrastructure, train personnel adequately and ensure transparent collation and prompt publication of polling-unit results in accordance with the law.
The forum also demanded that INEC must learn from previous controversies over its usage of technology in result transmission and restore public trust.
The SMBLF is also alarmed by reports and video footage of attacks on political figures, including reported incidents involving the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Mr Peter Obi, in Makurdi and later in Asaba, as well as Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, AAC, in Ekiti State.
SMBLF opined, "Whatever their political affiliations, no candidate or supporter should face violence for participating in democratic activities. Security agencies must investigate these incidents impartially, identify perpetrators and sponsors where evidence warrants, and bring offenders before the courts."
It noted that the destruction of campaign billboards, posters and other materials is unacceptable, stressing that such conduct violates the spirit of political competition and could escalate into avoidable violence.
"We further urge the judiciary and all electoral institutions to act with independence and dispatch. Prolonged uncertainty over party leadership and candidate eligibility so close to polling day can deprive voters of meaningful choices and weaken confidence in the democratic system," the forum said.
The SMBLF said it has not adopted any presidential candidate or political party as the collective choice of the forum, pointing out that their commitment is to a peaceful, credible and inclusive electoral process in which every eligible Nigerian can vote freely, without coercion, inducement or fear.
2027: Southern, Middle Belt leaders express concern over 'increasingly' tense political atmosphere
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
