The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) says it will activate its conflict telephony system to track and report electoral and political violence incidents during Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The Director-General of IPCR, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, disclosed this in a sideline interview with newsmen at a world media briefing to usher in the 2026 International Day of Peace on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ochogwu said the system would facilitate incident reporting and enable the Institute to escalate emerging cases to relevant stakeholders within and outside government for timely intervention.
He said the initiative formed part of IPCR’s Electoral Violence Prevention Programme aimed at promoting a peaceful election in 2027.
According to him, the Institute will also work with hospitals, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to complement existing efforts to prevent and mitigate electoral violence.
“We’ll be activating our national conflict telephony system to begin to do incident reporting that is targeted at issues around electoral and political violence,” he said.
Ochogwu said IPCR’s interventions would complement the activities of security agencies and other stakeholders involved in election security.
“Their own activities that they are doing, but our activities are going to complement and reinforce whatever they are doing to ensure that we have a much more peaceful and better election,” he said.
He also added that the Institute had been involved in efforts to promote credible, transparent, fair and acceptable elections in Nigeria since 2003, working with various partners to develop pathways for peaceful electoral processes.
Ochogwu also said the Institute is implementing youth-focused programmes and social media advocacy to deepen young Nigerians’ understanding of political reforms and electoral issues.
He further cautioned politicians against making unrealistic promises to voters, particularly claims that reforms could produce immediate or miraculous results.
“Any politician that comes and says he’s going to do a miracle, it’s a lie,” Ochogwu said.
He said reforms often came with difficulties and urged Nigerians to carefully consider policy choices and their implications when making electoral decisions.
“From my experience, my research experience, there is no reform that does not come with some elements of hate,” he said.
Ochogwu, however, stressed that IPCR’s responsibility is to promote an environment where political actors, electoral institutions and other stakeholders play their roles responsibly.
“Our side, we are trying to ensure that politicians begin to do the right thing; the electoral body and all the responsible agencies can begin to do the right thing,” he said.
According to him, a peaceful, legitimate, and acceptable election would strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and create an opportunity to build a better society.
He expressed concern over the tendency of political actors to commence another electoral cycle shortly after a government was constituted, saying the development had contributed to heightened political tensions.
“What we’ve seen from 2013 to now is the fact that political actors started the election immediately when government was constituted,” he said.
He said IPCR would continue working with partners involved in sensitisation, research, monitoring, tracking and policy advisory ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ochogwu said the Institute’s election-related interventions were part of its broader peacebuilding and democratic stability mandate.
He added that IPCR would remain engaged throughout the electoral process and beyond the 2027 elections to support peacebuilding, nation-building and state-building efforts.
Also speaking, the Chairperson of the Peace Committee, Mrs Grace Atim, said peace should be deliberately built through collective action rather than passively awaited.
“Peace is not what we wait for; it is what we build,” Atim said.
She encouraged stakeholders and citizens to work together to promote peaceful coexistence and build a peaceful society.(NAN)
