By Chinedum Treasure
Labour Party (LP) senatorial candidate for Anambra Central, Ven. Tochukwu Ikezue, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to organise a free, fair and credible 2027 general election and be prepared to hand over power peacefully if defeated.
Ikezue said Tinubu had a historic opportunity to immortalise his name among respected African leaders by placing Nigeria’s democratic interests above personal political ambition.
He made the call while reacting to the President’s directive authorising security agencies to use full force against political thugs ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While welcoming the directive, the LP candidate insisted that Nigerians would judge the President not by his public declarations but by his actions, particularly his commitment to creating a level playing field for all political parties.
He cited former President Goodluck Jonathan’s historic decision in 2015 to concede defeat to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as a remarkable demonstration of patriotism and democratic maturity.
According to him, Jonathan earned international recognition by placing Nigeria’s peace, unity and stability above his personal political interests, despite being the incumbent President.
Ikezue challenged Tinubu to follow the same path by guaranteeing that every vote counts in 2027 and accepting the outcome of a genuinely credible election, regardless of the winner.
The LP candidate also condemned reported attacks on political leaders and their supporters across the country, citing incidents involving the convoy of Prof. Isa Pantami in Gombe, the ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto, Manir Dan’iya, and the convoy of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Calabar on November 4.
He also referenced the reported invasion of an NDC town hall meeting in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, November 12, describing such incidents as dangerous threats to democratic participation and political freedom.
He urged Tinubu to ensure that security agencies remained politically neutral and that anyone found culpable of sponsoring or perpetrating political violence was arrested and prosecuted, irrespective of party affiliation.
Ikezue further called on the President to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to discharge its constitutional responsibilities independently, without political interference.
He appealed to political leaders and their supporters across the country to shun violence, political intimidation and inflammatory rhetoric, urging them instead to focus on policies and programmes capable of improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
He maintained that the 2027 general election should go down in history as a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy, when citizens freely exercised their franchise and their votes genuinely determined who governed them.
For Tinubu, he said, the opportunity to earn a place in history was clear: conduct a credible election, respect the people’s verdict and demonstrate that Nigeria’s democracy is bigger than any individual.
Tags: Tinubu, 2027 Elections, Tochukwu Ikezue, INEC, Labour Party
