Civil society organisations, media stakeholders and electoral officials in Ebonyi State have urged voters to look beyond political manifestos, campaign slogans and personalities and critically assess the competence, capacity, policy proposals and track records of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The stakeholders made the call on Monday, October 5, 2026, in Abakaliki during a democratic dialogue organised by the Centre for Media and Dialogue Initiative (CMDI) in collaboration with the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State Council.
The dialogue, themed “Beyond the Manifesto: Ebonyi 2027 Election and the People’s Interrogation of Next Leadership,” was designed to provide a non-partisan platform for candidates to explain their programmes while citizens, journalists and other stakeholders interrogated their policy proposals and capacity to deliver.
Programme Director of CMDI, Eze Chikodiri Igwe, said democracy required more than campaign promises, stressing that voters should demand clear explanations on how proposed policies would be implemented, the resources required and how the performance of elected officials would be measured.
Igwe said the initiative was not intended to endorse any candidate or political party, but to shift electoral discussions from slogans and personalities to policy, competence, measurable commitments and accountability.
He added that citizens had the right to ask questions, candidates had a responsibility to provide answers, while the media had a duty to interrogate political claims and provide credible information to enable voters make informed decisions.
Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, NUJ Ebonyi State Council, Uchenna Inya, said journalists had a responsibility to set the agenda for public discourse and ensure that voters were adequately informed about the candidates and their programmes.
Inya urged the media to scrutinise candidates’ plans for critical sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, security and the economy, while maintaining professionalism and non-partisanship in election coverage.
Representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs Esther Idam described citizens as key stakeholders in the electoral process and urged registered voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and familiarise themselves with their designated polling units.
She also cautioned voters and political actors against misinformation and fake news, urging citizens to verify information before sharing it on social media.
Idam further warned youths against allowing themselves to be used to perpetrate electoral violence and encouraged political parties, candidates, agents and voters to understand and comply with electoral guidelines.
The dialogue attracted candidates and representatives of several political parties, including the Labour Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and African Renaissance Movement (ARM), among others.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates were absent from the event.
Reacting to the absence, the Ebonyi State PDP Chairman, Chief Chukwuma Igwe, represented by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Darlington Onwe, called on the APC to explain why it did not participate in the dialogue.
Onwe alleged that the APC had been invited to the event but deliberately stayed away, while citing the participation of representatives of other political parties.
The APC’s response to the allegation was not contained in the reports of the event reviewed by MUK TV.
The dialogue ended with a renewed call for issue-based campaigns, informed voter participation, peaceful political engagement and greater accountability from candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
By Enitan Mudashiru | MUK TV News
