By Amaka Okafor
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Civil society organisations in Ebonyi State has urged voters to look beyond campaign slogans, manifestos and political personalities and interrogate the competence, capacity, policy proposals and track records of candidates.
The stakeholders spoke on Tuesday in Abakaliki during a democratic dialogue organised by the Centre for Media and Dialogue Initiative , in collaboration with the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists , Ebonyi State Council.
The dialogue, with the theme, “Beyond the Manifesto: Ebonyi 2027 Election and the People’s Interrogation of Next Leadership,” provided a platform for political parties, candidates, journalists, civil society groups and citizens to examine the quality of leadership being offered to the electorate.
Programme Director of CMDI, Eze Chikodiri Igwe, said the initiative was designed to provide a credible, respectful and non-partisan platform where candidates could explain their programmes while citizens and the media interrogated their policy choices and capacity to deliver.
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 the mechanisms for measuring performance and holding elected officials accountable.
“A manifesto tells us what a candidate promises. Democracy, however, requires us to go further and ask: What is the problem? What is the proposed solution? How will it be delivered? What resources will it require? What priorities will guide the choices? How will citizens measure performance?” he asked.
He said the initiative was not designed to endorse any candidate or political party, but to move electoral discourse “from political promises to public policy; from slogans to substance; from personalities to capacity; and from campaign rhetoric to measurable commitments.”
Igwe added that while the electorate had the right to ask questions and candidates had the responsibility to provide answers, the media also had a duty to interrogate claims and provide citizens with credible information. “We are not here to tell Ebonyi what choice to make. We are here to strengthen the quality of the questions that must precede that choice,” he said.
Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, NUJ, Ebonyi State, Comrade Uchenna Inya, urged journalists to set the agenda for public discourse by interrogating candidates on their plans for critical sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, security and the economy. He said the media must remain professional, factual and non-partisan while helping voters make informed choices.
Representing the Independent National Electoral Commission , Mrs Esther Idam urged registered voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards , familiarize themselves with their polling units and adhere to electoral guidelines. She also cautioned against fake news and misinformation, warning youths against allowing themselves to be used for electoral violence and assuring that the commission would provide a level playing field for candidates.
The dialogue attracted candidates and representatives of political parties, including the Labour Party, ADC, PDP, NDC and ARM, among others. However, the ruling All Progressives Congress and its candidates did not participate in the event.
Reacting to the absence of the APC, PDP Chairman in Ebonyi State, Chief Chukwuma Igwe, represented by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Comrade Darlington Onwe, challenged the ruling party to explain why it had continued to shun debates and platforms aimed at promoting issue-based campaigns and credible elections.
“APC deliberately avoided this dialogue and they were duly notified. The Governor was personally invited and, if he was too busy, he was supposed to send a representative like our principal, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, the governorship candidate of PDP, who sent someone to represent him
