Odita Sunday 
HURIWA Warns Against Turning Palaces, Religious, Academic Institutions into APC Campaign Platforms
By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), through its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, has cautioned against the alleged partisan capture of traditional palaces, religious platforms and academic institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Onwubiko, in a statement dated July 16, 2026, raised concerns over what he described as an emerging pattern of using influential institutions to promote the political interests of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, the systematic visits by the Presidential Campaign Council to first-class traditional rulers across the country, alongside public endorsements and appeals for a renewed presidential mandate, should concern Nigerians committed to credible, competitive and democratic elections.
HURIWA said the development could no longer be dismissed as routine political courtesy, alleging that traditional institutions with significant influence over millions of Nigerians were being deliberately targeted, while similar endorsements were emerging from religious and academic circles.
The rights group particularly criticised the reported endorsement of President Tinubu by the Oba of Lagos, who allegedly declared that there would be no vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027, as well as the reported endorsement by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, and student leaders representing tertiary institutions across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
HURIWA insisted that traditional palaces, religious platforms and academic institutions must not be transformed into extensions of partisan campaign headquarters.
While acknowledging the constitutional right of traditional rulers, clerics, academics, students and private citizens to hold political opinions and support candidates of their choice, the association said a clear distinction must be made between individual political preferences and the use of institutions enjoying enormous public trust to advance partisan interests.
The organisation warned that the repeated use of traditional, religious and academic platforms for political endorsements could undermine their neutrality, credibility and moral authority.
HURIWA therefore urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, university authorities, student organisations and other influential institutions to reject attempts to convert their platforms into political campaign machinery, irrespective of the political party involved.
The association said the growing pattern of palace visits and endorsements deserved intense public scrutiny because elections should be determined by the free choices of citizens rather than the political preferences of influential individuals or institutions.
It stressed that no traditional ruler, religious leader, academic authority or student organisation possessed the constitutional power to determine how Nigerians would vote in 2027, maintaining that such authority belonged exclusively to the people through their votes.
HURIWA also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to remain firm in protecting the electoral process from partisan pressure and institutional interference.
The group urged security and law-enforcement agencies to ensure that no Nigerian was intimidated, threatened, induced or coerced because of their political preference. It further demanded equal opportunities for all political parties to campaign, organise and communicate their programmes without the political machinery of the ruling party overwhelming traditionally neutral institutions.
According to HURIWA, the 2027 elections must not become an exercise in which political power is projected through traditional palaces, religious establishments, campuses and other institutions before ordinary citizens are allowed to make their own choices.
The association appealed to traditional institutions to remember that their legitimacy transcended individual administrations and political parties, stressing that “a palace belongs to the people and history; it must not become a campaign office for any political party.”
HURIWA similarly urged religious and academic institutions to protect their independence and prevent partisan politics from eroding the public confidence built around them.
The rights group warned that the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend not only on events on election day but also on whether Nigerians believed that the pre-election environment was open, neutral and free from undue institutional influence.
It consequently called on national bodies representing traditional, religious and academic practitioners to speak out against the partisan exploitation of their institutions, while urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and resist attempts to substitute the preferences of powerful individuals or institutions for their constitutional right to freely choose their leaders.
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