{"id":71331,"date":"2025-07-24T04:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T04:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=71331"},"modified":"2025-07-24T04:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T04:31:10","slug":"catholic-leaders-development-experts-partners-rally-stakeholders-for-2027-general-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/07\/24\/catholic-leaders-development-experts-partners-rally-stakeholders-for-2027-general-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholic Leaders, Development Experts, Partners Rally Stakeholders for 2027 General Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ade Iyamoye\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the 2027 general elections just 18 months away, Catholic leaders, development experts, and civil society partners have called for urgent preparations to safeguard electoral integrity and promote inclusive national development.<\/p>\n

The call was made at the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM), of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), which opened Wednesday at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja.<\/p>\n

The meeting drew JDPC Coordinators and Directors from across the country, as well as representatives from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and other stakeholders in the development and governance sectors.<\/p>\n

Held under the theme \u201cTowards 2027 General Elections: The Imperatives of Mandate Protection and Sustainable Development,\u201d the gathering emphasized the Church\u2019s prophetic role in promoting good governance, protecting the people\u2019s votes, and ensuring democratic dividends reach the grassroots.<\/p>\n

In his opening remarks, Rev. Fr. Michael Ayanleke Banjo, Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, said the Church must not remain passive in the face of flawed electoral processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting the people\u2019s mandate is not just a civic responsibility, it is a moral imperative,\u201d Fr. Banjo declared. \u201cWe saw what happened in 2023; the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the silence of the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). We cannot afford to wait until election day to act.\u201d<\/p>\n

He outlined key strategies for early engagement, including widespread voter education, deployment of trained observers, advocacy for electoral reforms, and consistent moral guidance through homilies and public statements.<\/p>\n

Rev. Fr. Peter Babangida Audu, the National JDPC Secretary, described the AGM as a critical moment for reflection and renewed commitment.<\/p>\n

\u201cElectoral justice and sustainable development are two sides of the same coin,\u201d he said. \u201cA credible election that fails to translate into jobs, roads, healthcare, and security remains an empty promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fr. Audu urged dioceses to scale up JDPC structures at the parish level and build capacity for civic engagement and social transformation.<\/p>\n

He also commended JDPC leaders for their efforts during the 2023 elections and charged them to remain resilient in the face of funding and governance challenges.<\/p>\n

The event featured goodwill messages from key partners. Lawan Gonimi, Deputy Country Representative of CRS Nigeria, praised the JDPC\u2019s proactive stance and reiterated CRS\u2019s commitment to supporting the Church\u2019s governance and development work.<\/p>\n

\u201cJDPCs are uniquely positioned to foster civic engagement and inclusive participation,\u201d Gonimi said. \u201cTogether, we can empower communities to shape their own futures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other goodwill messages came from Fr. Augustine Akoba of the Migrants and Refugees Unit, who highlighted ongoing collaboration to support displaced persons, and Sr. Cor Jesu Maria of the Family and Human Life Unit, who reminded participants of the family\u2019s role as the foundation of society.<\/p>\n

As the opening session closed with a group photograph, participants were urged to innovate and move beyond routine election monitoring. \u201cWhat can we do differently this time?\u201d Fr. Audu challenged. \u201cSince 1999, we have observed elections. Now we must lead in shaping outcomes that truly transform lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The AGM continues with working sessions aimed at developing strategic frameworks for mandate protection, electoral reform, and community-driven development in the lead-up to the 2027 polls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ade Iyamoye\u00a0 With the 2027 general elections just 18 months away, Catholic leaders, development experts, and civil society partners have called for urgent preparations to safeguard electoral integrity and promote inclusive national development. The call was made at the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM), of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), which opened […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":71332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177,172,1681],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-71331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abuja-reports","category-news","category-religion","tag-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71333,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71331\/revisions\/71333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}