2027: Ndume Warns Parties Against Blackmail, Hate Campaigns

The former Senate Leader and frontline politician, Senator Ali Ndume, has cautioned political parties against campaigns of calumny and hatred as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.

The advice was contained in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.
Senator Ndume, who represents Borno South in the 10th Senate, noted that no country can progress when its leaders are constantly castigated under a “pull him down” syndrome.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain said the call for caution became necessary as political parties commence campaigns ahead of the election of a president in the first month of 2027.
He further stated that campaigns of blackmail targeted at the incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would not augur well for the development of the country. Instead, he urged politicians to focus on issue-based campaigns that would market their candidates to voters.
Investigations have shown that some political parties have expressed concerns over the academic qualifications of the APC candidate, particularly the absence of details of the primary and secondary schools he attended.
According to checks, political parties faulted President Tinubu over the filling of Form EC9, alleging that he left blank the spaces provided for primary and secondary school qualifications.
President Tinubu listed only a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Business Administration obtained from Chicago State University, United States, in 1979.
The APC presidential candidate, however, attached copies of his Bachelor of Science degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate as part of the supporting documents accompanying his nomination papers.
The lawmaker representing Borno South maintained that Tinubu has fulfilled the eligibility requirements for the office and dismissed the insinuation that his secondary school certificate ought to have been attached as a non-issue.
Citing Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution, the former Senate Leader submitted that the Constitution establishes a minimum educational threshold but does not insist on a secondary school certificate as the only means by which that threshold can be met.
Section 131(d) states: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if— (d) he has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent.”
The lawmaker maintained that the focus should be on Tinubu’s policies and performance as a sitting president, rather than his eligibility for office, which he noted had been settled through litigations arising from the 2023 presidential election.
He said the narrative around the President’s certificate was distracting, urging opposition presidential candidates and their spokespersons to focus on alternative economic policies, if they had any.
“What can they do better than President Tinubu? They should come out and tell Nigerians,” he said.
According to him, politicians should interrogate the President’s economic policies and how his administration has tackled insecurity.
“He has been in office for over three years now. So, how can the narrative around his certificates be the focus of his challengers?” he queried.
Ndume urged the opposition to elevate the discourse as campaigns progress, stressing the need to move beyond what he described as mundane issues.
“As Eleanor Roosevelt noted, great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people,” he stated.