NOA begins grassroots sensitisation ahead of 2027 elections in Yobe
The National Orientation Agency (NOA), Yobe Directorate, has commenced a grassroots sensitisation campaign to promote peaceful and credible elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The campaign, themed, “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Future,” with the slogan, “Say No to Voter Apathy, Vote Buying and Electoral Violence,” was flagged off at the palace of the Bulabulin District Head, Damaturu, on Tuesday.
The Acting State Director of NOA, Hajiya Maryam Usman Shettima, urged participants to pay attention to the discussions and extend the sensitisation messages to their respective communities.
She appreciated stakeholders for responding to the agency’s invitation, stressing the need for collective efforts in promoting peaceful electoral participation.
Representing the Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the Director of Climate Change and Energy, Alhaji Ali Audu, called on Nigerians to shun social vices and actions capable of undermining national peace.
Audu emphasised that no election was worth the life of any Nigerian and urged political actors to embrace peaceful campaigns and politics without bitterness.
In their contributions, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Dayyabu Salihu, outlined the Nigeria Police Force’s security preparations for the 2027 elections, while INEC Public Relations Officer, Mr Lawan Idriss, highlighted the commission’s preparedness for the electoral process.
Similarly, the Assistant Commandant of the NDLEA Sensitisation Unit, Mrs Ramatu Suma Badamasi, called on parents to prevent their children from being recruited or used for drug-related activities during elections.
The Chairman of the Network of Yobe State Civil Society Organisations, Alhaji Baba Kuci, sensitised participants on the dangers of vote buying and its implications for credible elections.
The Director of News and Current Affairs of Yobe Broadcasting Corporation, Habu Sabon Layi, and the Yobe APC Women Leader, Rakiyya Mohammed, also urged citizens, particularly women, to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate actively in peaceful electoral processes.
In his closing remarks, the Bulabulin District Head, Damaturu, Alhaji Abba Kalli Murfama, commended NOA for choosing his palace to flag off the campaign.
He urged ward heads, religious leaders, women groups, ministries, departments and agencies, as well as persons with disabilities, to support the initiative and take the messages to their communities.
Murfama also called on media practitioners to uphold professionalism and responsible reporting throughout the electoral process.