The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has enlisted the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, and the Lagos Traditional Council as partners in promoting peace and mobilising citizens for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), made the call on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the monarch at the Iga Idunganran Palace, Lagos Island, at the end of the commission’s South-West Zonal Readiness Assessment and Staff Interactive Session.
According to INEC Bulletin, Amupitan said the commission considered traditional institutions critical to ensuring peaceful elections and strengthening citizens’ participation in the electoral process.
“We are here today to formally enlist Your Royal Majesty and the Lagos Traditional Council as powerful partners in keeping the peace and safeguarding our democracy,” the INEC chairman said.
He stressed that elections should be viewed as peaceful civic exercises rather than contests that encourage violence.
“Elections are civic celebrations of free choice, not contests of conflict or violence,” he said.
According to Amupitan, while INEC was deploying technology to improve the electoral process, technology alone could not guarantee a credible democracy without the active participation and support of citizens and traditional institutions.
“However, Your Majesty, technology alone cannot build a democracy; people do,” he said.
The chairman appealed to Oba Akiolu to use his influence to mobilise Lagos residents to participate actively in the electoral process, particularly by completing voter registration and turning out to vote.
“We humbly request your royal voice to help us mobilize the good people of Lagos. We want them to take ownership of the electoral process, to participate in the electoral process and in particular turn out in their numbers when the time comes. When a father speaks, his children listen,” Amupitan said.
He noted that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters was approaching 100 million, stressing that managing the electoral process across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory would require more than technical preparedness by INEC.
He said the exercise also required “the total cooperation, peace, and moral support” of traditional institutions.
Describing traditional rulers as enduring anchors of Nigerian communities, Amupitan said their influence extended beyond the political cycle.
“Political parties and electoral commissions come and go, but the traditional institution remains the permanent anchor of our communities,” he said.
“You are the true custodians of our culture, peace, and social cohesion.”
The INEC chairman also urged the Lagos monarch to counsel politicians and other political actors to conduct their campaigns responsibly and avoid rhetoric capable of inflaming tensions.
“We urge you, as a father to all politicians regardless of their party affiliations, to counsel them to focus on issues rather than insults. Let them debate policies, not personalities,” he said.
Amupitan formally presented three requests to the monarch.
He sought royal blessings for INEC’s leadership, staff and ad-hoc personnel who would be deployed for the 2027 elections; the use of the monarch’s moral authority to encourage Lagos residents to complete voter registration and collect their Permanent Voter Cards; and continued advocacy for peace among community leaders, market associations, youth groups and political actors.
Responding, Oba Akiolu welcomed the commission’s appeal and urged politicians to move away from what he described as short-term patronage towards programmes that would genuinely empower citizens.
“Politicians must move away from the culture of short-term patronage and focus on genuine capacity building — teaching our people how to fish rather than giving them fish,” the monarch said.
He also called for issue-based campaigns devoid of hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric.
“Campaigning must remain strictly issue-based, free from hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric,” he said.
The monarch identified indiscipline among some young Nigerians as a national challenge and charged traditional rulers with helping to guide their communities towards responsible citizenship and participation in democracy.
“As Royal Fathers, it is our solemn duty to guide our communities and inspire citizens to turn out in large numbers to exercise their democratic franchise,” Akiolu said.
He also urged INEC’s leadership to remain committed to its constitutional responsibilities and conduct its affairs with integrity.
“I appeal to the Chairman and National Commissioners to remain unwavering, honest, and steadfast in your sacred trust,” he said.
The monarch further appealed to the Federal Government to provide adequate and timely funding for the electoral commission.
He urged the government “to ensure full and timely funding for elections, equipping INEC with every resource required to execute its constitutional mandate flawlessly.”
