The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has launched an initiative aimed at preventing election-related violence in 24 local government areas across Akwa Ibom, Delta and Rivers states ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. This move is an effort to foster peace and stability in the region. The initiative will focus on early-warning systems and community-based peacebuilding.
PIND announced the initiative at a project launch and signing ceremony in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. During the ceremony, PIND signed Memoranda of Agreement with three civil society organisations. These organisations will coordinate the implementation of the initiative across the states. The partner organisations are Youth for Change Initiative in Akwa Ibom, One Love Community Development and Promotion of Peace Initiative in Delta, and Community Resource Development Foundation in Rivers.
According to PIND’s Peacebuilding Programme Manager, David Udofia, efforts to prevent election violence must begin long before election day. He noted that election violence is rarely an isolated event and that warning signs often emerge long before voting begins. The initiative aims to help communities and institutions identify these signals early and coordinate action before tensions escalate into violence.
The project is non-partisan and aims to protect lives, strengthen peaceful civic participation and support credible electoral processes. This will be achieved through local participation, responsible communication and evidence-based responses. PIND plans to strengthen its Integrated Peace and Development Unit (IPDU) conflict early-warning platform. This will involve expanding community reporting networks and improving the verification and analysis of incidents.
The initiative will also support election-violence scenario planning, mediation, dialogue, stakeholder forums, advocacy and peace messaging. PIND will engage 15 radio and television stations, alongside digital platforms, to promote conflict-sensitive reporting. The goal is to counter misinformation and disinformation and discourage inflammatory narratives that could heighten political tensions.
The intervention will involve community leaders, women and youth groups, civil society organisations, media practitioners, electoral institutions and security agencies. In Akwa Ibom, the project will cover eight local government areas, including Uyo, Ibeno and Etim Ekpo. In Delta, the targeted areas are Warri North, Warri South and Ughelli South. In Rivers, the initiative will cover Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and Andoni.
The states and local government areas were selected based on evidence from PIND's Peace Map and other credible sources. These sources include historical patterns of electoral violence and emerging political and conflict dynamics. The initiative aims to prevent conflicts from escalating and promote peace in the region.
Key points
- The initiative will use early-warning systems and community-based peacebuilding to identify potential threats and prevent conflicts from escalating.
- The project is non-partisan and aims to protect lives, strengthen peaceful civic participation and support credible electoral processes.
- The initiative will cover 24 local government areas across Akwa Ibom, Delta and Rivers states.
