The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has commenced preparations for the 2027 general elections by directing its state and Local Government Area (LGA) chairmen to begin the compilation and harmonisation of party agents across the country.

The party gave its state and LGA executives two weeks to submit the final lists of nominated agents for scrutiny and approval by the party leadership.

The directive was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director.

Director said the state and LGA chairmen were expected to immediately convene meetings with candidates and other relevant stakeholders to compile comprehensive lists of party agents in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.

According to him, the party would prepare two separate categories of agents to cover the different elections scheduled for 2027.

One list will comprise agents for the National Assembly elections, while the second will cover the governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

The party said the lists would subsequently undergo scrutiny and ratification by its leadership before the commencement of training for the selected agents.

The process will involve the participation of the party’s presidential candidate and running mate, alongside other members of the leadership.

The NDC also directed that the final lists must be counter-signed by the respective state chairmen and candidates.

The party said the requirement was intended to authenticate the nominations and establish clear ownership of the submitted lists.

It further stipulated that where disagreements arise between party leadership and candidates regarding the selection of agents, the choice made by the candidate would prevail.

The statement partly read, “That State and LGA Chairmen shall meet with candidates and stakeholders to generate a comprehensive list of two sets of party agents;

those for National Assembly elections and another set for governorship/State Assembly elections.

“These party agents shall be scrutinised and ratified by the party’s leadership, including the presidential candidate and his running mate, before training commences.”

Director said the mobilisation was part of the party’s broader preparations for the 2027 elections, assuring members and supporters that its organisational structures were already being put in place for the campaign.

“The leadership of the party wishes to reassure all members, supporters and stakeholders that the National Democratic Congress is fully prepared and ready for a robust, issue-based campaign, with all necessary structures firmly in place for victory,” he said.

The commencement of agent mobilisation marks an early organisational step by the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the exercise expected to provide the framework for the selection and subsequent training of representatives who will monitor proceedings at polling units on election day.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned that the misuse of artificial intelligence in creating and spreading manipulated content is no longer a distant or theoretical threat to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

INEC said the growing accessibility of generative artificial intelligence had made it cheaper and increasingly difficult to detect fabricated audio, videos and images, raising concerns about the potential effect of manipulated information on voters and confidence in the electoral process.

The commission raised the alarm on Monday in Abuja during a capacity-building workshop for its Public Affairs Officers drawn from states across the country.

The warning was contained in a statement signed by INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi.

Declaring the workshop open, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said artificial intelligence could be exploited not only to produce fabricated content but also to develop highly targeted messages aimed at exposing different groups of voters to conflicting narratives.

Haruna said, “Generative AI has made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect manipulated audio, video and images.”

He stressed that the threat posed by AI to elections went beyond fake photographs, videos and audio recordings, noting that the technology could also be used to create targeted communication capable of presenting different versions of events to different segments of the electorate.

According to him, the development has made it necessary for electoral technology and electoral communication to be considered as interconnected components of election management.

Haruna recalled that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, had recently noted that electoral credibility no longer depended solely on physical election materials and technology such as ballot papers, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and result sheets.

Amupitan, according to Haruna, had emphasised that the information environment in which voters formed their judgments was equally important to the credibility of elections.

The INEC chairman had consequently called for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated “not as separate concerns but as a single discipline.”

INEC trains communication officers ahead of 2027.

Haruna said the workshop was organised in response to the changing information environment and was designed to equip Public Affairs Officers with the knowledge and practical skills required to communicate accurately and respond to emerging information threats ahead of the 2027 elections.
The workshop is themed, “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027.”

Describing the Public Affairs Officers as “the frontline communicators of INEC in the states,” Haruna said the credibility of the commission’s communication depended significantly on their work.

He said participants would receive training in verification, escalation procedures and clear and consistent messaging.

Haruna added that the skills acquired would be particularly important as the 2027 general elections approach and the volume of election-related information circulating across traditional and digital platforms increases.

INEC raises concern over misinformation
In her welcome remarks, Eta-Messi said Public Affairs Officers played an important role in shaping Nigerians’ perception of the electoral commission.

“It is through you that Nigerians form much of their impression of who we are, what we stand for, and how reliable our information is,” she said.

She noted that INEC operated under constant public scrutiny and was frequently confronted with attempts to misrepresent its activities and undermine public confidence in the commission.

According to her, the challenge requires public communication officers to be adequately prepared to distinguish verified information from misinformation and disinformation.

Eta-Messi disclosed that the workshop was not intended to be a one-off intervention.

She said additional capacity-building programmes were already at an advanced stage of planning, with support from development partners.

Describing the current training as “the beginning of sustained engagement,” the director said the objective was to ensure that INEC’s communication officers were sufficiently equipped to handle their responsibilities.

Officers to receive AI communication training
Presenting the objectives of the workshop, INEC.

Deputy Director, Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the programme was designed to strengthen the practical.

communication skills required by Public Affairs Officers in their daily duties and in preparation for the 2027 elections.

Ifogah said the training would clarify the lines of escalation between Public Affairs Officers, heads of department, the Voter Education and Publicity Department and Resident Electoral Commissioners.

He added that the programme would promote consistency in press statements, talking points and social media communication across the commission.

The training will also strengthen the officers’ ability to monitor the information ecosystem and respond appropriately to misinformation and disinformation.

Ifogah said participants would be introduced to the responsible use of artificial intelligence in communication work, including its practical applications, limitations and safeguards relating to confidentiality and verification.

He said the objective was not simply to expose officers to new technology but to ensure that they understood how to use it responsibly while maintaining the accuracy and credibility expected of INEC communication.

Participants, he added, were expected to leave the workshop with “a shared appreciation of the standards of accuracy, consistency and professionalism required of every Public Affairs Officer of this Commission,” particularly as Nigeria moves towards the 2027 general elections.

The commission’s latest warning places the information environment alongside electoral technology as an important area of preparation for the 2027 polls, with INEC seeking to strengthen its ability to verify information and respond to false or manipulated narratives in real time.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is considering a defined role for Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in his 2027 re-election campaign, with the former Rivers State governor expected to coordinate presidential campaign activities in Rivers State and the FCT, according to a report by THISDAY.

The proposed arrangement would allow Tinubu to utilise Wike’s political network and influence without requiring the minister to formally join the All Progressives Congress (APC), which Wike has repeatedly said he has no intention of doing. 

The development comes against the backdrop of an increasingly public disagreement between Wike and several APC governors over the structure through which support for Tinubu should be mobilised ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike to operate outside formal APC hierarchy

According to THISDAY, the emerging arrangement would give Wike responsibility for Tinubu’s presidential campaign in Rivers and the FCT, rather than placing him within the formal hierarchy of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite serving as a minister in the APC-led Federal Government.

He has previously said his support for Tinubu’s re-election does not require APC membership or a formal position in the party’s campaign council.

In August, after Tinubu formally constituted the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Wike said he preferred to focus on delivering Rivers and the FCT rather than seeking the position of Director-General.

“I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and Rivers,” Wike said at the time. 

He also described the Rainbow Coalition as a cross-party platform for politicians supporting Tinubu while remaining members of their respective political parties. 

Proposed structure follows Wike-APC governors dispute

The proposed arrangement comes days after tensions between Wike and the APC Governors’ Forum intensified over the Rainbow Coalition.

Wike has maintained that his priority is securing Tinubu’s re-election, while insisting that the PDP and other parties remain free to field candidates for governorship and legislative elections.

APC governors, however, have said they will not support political arrangements capable of weakening the APC or creating competing campaign structures.

The Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has specifically opposed arrangements that could produce divided loyalty or competing interests within the party’s electoral machinery. 

Wike subsequently criticised some governors, including Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

He has also asserted that he remains influential in the political structures of Rivers and the FCT, describing himself earlier this month as the “General Commander of the Political Infantry.” 

Tinubu reportedly seeking to prevent campaign clashes

THISDAY reported that the proposed arrangement is intended partly to reduce friction among the different political blocs supporting Tinubu.

The emerging campaign structure is not expected to operate under a conventional single chain of command.

Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, who was appointed Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in August, is expected to oversee the council’s day-to-day operations. 

However, according to the report, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau are not expected to report directly to Yari, with senior political figures assigned separate areas of responsibility.

The proposed arrangement reflects an attempt to accommodate different political power centres within the broader Tinubu re-election campaign.

Wike’s Rivers and FCT role would be distinct

The proposed responsibility for Wike would similarly be distinct from Yari’s overall campaign role.

Rather than making Wike part of the APC’s formal leadership hierarchy, the arrangement would reportedly place him in charge of presidential mobilisation in Rivers and the FCT.

The choice of the two territories is significant because Wike has repeatedly claimed political influence in both.

In Rivers, he remains a major political figure after serving as governor from 2015 to 2023, while his position as FCT minister has given him a prominent political and administrative presence in Abuja.

Wike has previously said he intends to deliver both territories for Tinubu. 

The arrangement would therefore attempt to accommodate Wike’s political role without formally transferring control of the APC’s wider state structures to him.

Yari remains campaign Director-General

The proposed Wike arrangement does not alter Yari’s position as Director-General of Tinubu’s presidential campaign council.

Tinubu formally constituted the APC Presidential Campaign Council in August, with himself as chairman, Vice-President Kashim Shettima as vice-chairman, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as another vice-chairman and Yari as Director-General.

The council also includes senior APC figures, ministers, lawmakers and political leaders. 

The emerging structure appears designed to distinguish between formal campaign administration and political mobilisation by influential actors who may not occupy conventional campaign positions.

Keyamo tipped for communications role

Meanwhile, Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo is reportedly being considered for a prominent communications position within the campaign.

Keyamo has significant experience in presidential campaign communications.

He served as a spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs during Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign and held a senior communications role during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election campaign.

He subsequently served as Minister of State for Labour and Employment under Buhari before becoming Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister under Tinubu.

His reported return to the campaign’s frontline communications operation would therefore draw on experience accumulated across both government and presidential election campaigns.

However, the communications structure is already broader than any single spokesperson. Ima Niboro, a former spokesperson to President Goodluck Jonathan and former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, was recently appointed one of the spokespersons of Tinubu’s campaign council. 

A delicate balance for Tinubu’s 2027 campaign

The proposed arrangement highlights the unusual political configuration surrounding Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Wike remains a PDP member but is serving in an APC administration and campaigning for the incumbent President. At the same time, he has promoted a cross-party Rainbow Coalition rather than formally joining the APC.

That arrangement has created both opportunities and tensions.

Wike says his support is specifically for Tinubu and does not prevent other parties from contesting governorship and legislative elections. APC governors, on the other hand, have expressed concern about political arrangements that could weaken the party’s candidates. 

Tinubu’s reported attempt to define Wike’s role therefore comes at a politically sensitive point: how to harness the minister’s cross-party network for the presidential contest while limiting potential clashes with the APC’s formal campaign machinery and state-level interests.

For now, the arrangement remains a reported proposal rather than a formally announced change to the campaign structure. The final roles and chain of responsibility will become clearer when the campaign leadership makes further announcements.