Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, has explained why he would rather support President Bola Tinubu than Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Speaking during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, Lawal said Nigeria could collapse chaotically if Atiku becomes president in 2027.

Recall that Lawal recently joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, after resigning from the ADC following the emergence of Atiku as its presidential candidate.


“I’d rather go with Bola than Atiku because when Nigeria crashes with Bola, it might be an orderly crash, but with Atiku, it would be a chaotic one,” Lawal said.

According to him, the former vice president is not a good man, attributing his position to his previous experience working with Atiku.

“I wanted to work for Atiku. I had the belief that, given the way we are suffering in the North, we should not surrender the presidency; that, at least, our own man would, if nothing else, stop the decline we are in,” he added.

The former SGF accused Atiku of giving instructions and later reversing them after consulting with other people.

“Everything you do with him, there’s chaos,” Lawal stated.

By Augustine Akhilomen

The National Peace Committee (NPC), spearheaded by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar and co-convened by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has issued a sharp and uncompromising warning to major political actors, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, against the use of inflammatory and inciting language as the country builds toward the 2027 general elections.

In a joint statement released following a review of political conduct, the committee expressed deep concern over a worrying spike in hostility across the country, highlighting that political discourse is dangerously straying away from policy-based engagement.

The statement partly read:

“To political parties, candidates, and supporters: Immediately stop false, inflammatory or inciting communication. Uphold the commitments of the Accord, verify information before publication, and actively prevent supporters from engaging in unlawful conduct, intimidation, or disruption.

“As the 2027 electoral cycle progresses, the message of the NPC remains clear and unwavering. Every candidate must be able to campaign peacefully; every political party must be able to organise lawfully; and every citizen must be able to make a political choice without intimidation or coercion.

“To INEC, strengthen monitoring of political campaigns and ensure compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and applicable regulations governing political parties and campaign conduct.

“Where breaches are identified, the commission should take appropriate regulatory action within its mandate and promptly refer suspected criminal violations to the relevant law-enforcement agencies.”

The panel flagged data compiled through its Election Security Information Hub, which recorded roughly 60 election-related incidents within a single month. These violations span political violence, intimidation, targeted threats against opponents, physical attacks on campaign activities, and a surge in deliberate misinformation.

Reminding all political camps of their previous pledges, the committee underscored that the National Peace Accord is a binding civic compact rather than an empty formality.

Beyond warning the political elite, the peace panel called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to ramp up prompt, impartial, and evidence-driven investigations into electoral offences to deter perpetrators.

As the 2027 race heats up amidst ongoing economic anxieties, the Abdulsalami panel’s intervention serves as a critical wake-up call for political gladiators to rein in toxic rhetoric before it destabilizes the democratic process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission says nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced this on Monday at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by the commission in collaboration with Development Alternatives Incorporated and the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Abuja.

The announcement comes as Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has risen to more than 103 million, according to the commission.

Amupitan said INEC’s three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise had attracted more than 10.6 million new applicants.

He added that the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections had been completed, while the commission had also completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup of the register.

According to the INEC chairman, the commencement of PVC collection was particularly important as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.

He said the commission was working to ensure that the electoral process was transparent, technology-driven and credible.

Amupitan said INEC remained committed to continuously improving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal “to ensure that every valid vote counts and is seen to count.”

He also identified public trust as a key factor in electoral credibility.

“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chairman called for stronger partnership between the commission, editors, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

He said INEC was prepared to listen to editorial concerns, address operational challenges and provide timely information to prevent misinformation from filling communication gaps.

Amupitan urged “newsrooms to establish digital fact-verification desks and pledged that INEC would provide editors with direct access to verify field incidents, logistical developments and security reports in real time.”

He further proposed a “sustained editorial feedback mechanism between INEC and the Nigerian Guild of Editors to review operational progress and resolve emerging challenges throughout the 2027 election cycle.”

The Director of Voter Education and Publicity Department, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, identified misinformation and disinformation as major factors contributing to declining citizen participation.

She urged media organisations to support INEC by ensuring that accurate and timely information reached citizens, particularly as the commission prepares for the commencement of PVC collection.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Adedayo Oketola, said the strategic workshop had three broad objectives.

He said the first was to rebuild institutional trust through open dialogue by establishing a transparent two-way communication channel between INEC leadership and media gatekeepers.

The second objective, he said, was to combat information disorder and strengthen fact verification.

Oketola said the commission wanted to establish “seamless 24-hour fact-verification loops between newsrooms and INEC so that speed would not come at the expense of accuracy.”

The third objective was to promote shared democratic responsibility among the media, civil society and electoral institutions through ethical gatekeeping, conflict-sensitive reporting and civic enlightenment.

‘Verification is a two-way street’
The Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu, said Nigeria was at a critical point in its democratic journey, with the 2027 elections approaching and PVC collection scheduled to begin within days.

He said electoral information was already shaping public discourse across newspapers, radio, television and digital platforms.

Akingbulu said editors were not defined merely by their positions but by the responsibility they carried as stewards of the electoral information ecosystem.

Referring to an earlier charge to editors to verify rigorously, beware of deepfakes and avoid publishing unofficial results, he said: “Verification is a two-way street.”

He added: “Verify before you amplify.”

NGE urges balanced election reporting
The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr Eze Anaba, said the workshop was timely given the country’s proximity to another general election.

Anaba said elections were not merely about casting ballots but about citizens having confidence that their votes would count and that the institutions conducting elections would act fairly and professionally.

He urged editors to uphold accuracy, fairness, balance and public interest in electoral reporting, while calling for stronger access to credible and timely information from INEC.