Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched the Ask AA portal, a citizen-engagement platform designed to give Nigerians a direct opportunity to ask questions about his political record, policy proposals and plans for the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The platform, which goes live at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2026, allows Nigerians to submit questions on issues including the economy, security, technology, job creation and measures to make life more affordable.

According to the announcement, Atiku will personally respond to questions, with support from his media team.

ALSO READ: Amaechi Gives Conditions to Back Tinubu, Quit ADC

The initiative is designed to bridge the information gap between voters and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate by providing a direct channel for citizens to seek information about his positions and proposals.

Speaking on the initiative, Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, said the platform was intended to bring Atiku closer to the electorate through a practical, problem-solving approach.

Shaibu added that the initiative reflected Atiku’s commitment to using modern technology to make government more efficient, secure and effective.

The campaign also plans to make the platform accessible through a radio interface for communities without internet access.

Announcing the initiative on his social media accounts, Atiku said he conceived Ask AA because he believes that “leadership is a two-way conversation.”

He said the platform was created to promote transparency, accountability and dialogue between leaders and citizens.

“For too long, governance has felt distant—locked behind walls of bureaucracy. But our country’s greatest resource isn’t oil or land; it is our people. If we are going to build the Nigeria of our dreams, we must start by tearing down the walls between leaders and the people,” he said.

Atiku added that Nigerians would be able to question his economic record, discuss his policy plans on technology, security and job creation, and submit recommendations for national progress.

“No filters, no intermediaries,” he said, describing the platform as a direct channel for public engagement.

The former vice president also disclosed that he would personally call selected citizens who provide their contact details on the platform to hear about their experiences and the issues affecting their daily lives.

“A transparent, technology-driven government is not a promise for tomorrow. It begins with how we listen to you today,” Atiku said.

He concluded his announcement by inviting Nigerians to participate in the initiative, asking: “If you could ask me one question, what would it be?”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Odii, has accused Governor Francis Nwifuru of being jittery over his candidacy ahead of the 2027 governorship election, describing alleged threats against opposition parties as unconstitutional.

Odii made the remarks during an interview on Arise News, where he questioned the governor’s understanding of the constitutional responsibilities of his office and accused him of attempting to intimidate opposition parties in the state.

ALSO READ: ‘Apologise or Resign’ — Ebonyi PDP Fires Back at Nwifuru Over 2027 Threat

According to the PDP candidate, a governor’s responsibility as the chief security officer of a state is to protect lives and property rather than issue threats against political opponents.

He said Nwifuru’s alleged threats suggested that the governor was worried about his growing political support ahead of the election.

“When you now start threatening and issuing threat, for me, I regard it as he’s panicking,” Odii said.

He added that the governor might be unsettled by his connection with the electorate.

“I regard it as maybe his jittery over the candidacy of Ifeanyi Odii, because he knew that I’m connected to the people and, you know, the masses are with me,” he said.

Odii also alleged that the governor had directed local government chairmen not to allow opposition political parties to campaign in Ebonyi State, insisting that such a move would violate the Constitution.

“Because for a governor to be issuing threat, that is local government chairman or chairmen, they should not allow opposition political parties, you know, to campaign in the state. It’s unconstitutional,” he stated.

The PDP candidate further alleged that some people were attacked in parts of the state following the governor’s instructions.

He said his camp had reported its concerns to security agencies and urged the authorities to ensure that the state remained peaceful.

“So, what we did was, um, we complained, we laid our complaint to the security agencies,” Odii said.

He added that his supporters had been advised to remain law-abiding and avoid taking the law into their own hands.

“We talked to our people to remain law-abiding, so that they don’t take laws into their hands,” he said.

Despite the alleged threats, Odii maintained that he and his supporters were not intimidated, adding that the PDP was continuing its grassroots consultations ahead of the formal commencement of its campaign.

“For us, we are not perturbed, neither have we been, uh, you know, having any kind of fear,” he said.

Odii Explains PDP’s Campaign Plans

Speaking on the party’s preparations for the 2027 governorship election, Odii said the PDP had yet to formally flag off its campaign in Ebonyi State.

He explained that the party was currently consulting stakeholders, market women, traders and peasant farmers as part of its preparations.

According to him, the consultations were distinct from the formal campaign launch, which would involve broader public activities.

When asked whether his manifesto was ready, Odii responded in the affirmative.
“Yes, 100%,” he said.

He also noted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State had yet to hold its formal campaign flag-off, adding that his party was putting arrangements in place for its own launch.

Odii said the PDP would commence its formal campaign in the state soon.

He reiterated his position that Governor Nwifuru should be called to order over the alleged threats against opposition parties.

“Threat, I believe that governor should be called to order to know that it’s unconstitutional,” he said.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has declared that algorithms will not determine the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections, insisting that the sovereign will of the Nigerian people must remain the basis for choosing their leaders.

Amupitan made the declaration while speaking at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, themed “Safeguarding the 2027 General Elections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

“Algorithms will not, and must never, decide the 2027 vote,” he said.

ALSO READ: 2027 Elections: INEC Debunks Fake Notice on Governorship Candidates in Six States

“The choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people. Algorithms may predict patterns; they may optimise routes, and they may even suggest preferences. But they do not have a conscience, they do not have a country, and they do not have a vote.”

The forum, co-convened by INEC and Yiaga Africa, brought together electoral officials, members of the diplomatic corps, political party leaders, civil society organisations, media executives, security agencies, technology companies, international development partners and members of the academic community.

Participants also included the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions and Chairman of Senegal’s Electoral Commission, Mr Abdoulaye Sylla, alongside heads of electoral management bodies across Africa.

Amupitan acknowledged that artificial intelligence would significantly influence the information environment ahead of the 2027 elections, as well as electoral logistics and the strategies employed by democratic actors and those seeking to disrupt the electoral process.

“While algorithms will not decide the vote, AI will undeniably shape the information environment in which citizens form their choices, influence the speed and security of electoral logistics, and alter the tactics of both democratic actors and anti-democratic disruptors,” he said.

The INEC chairman described the 2027 General Election as the largest democratic exercise on the African continent and one of the most complex administrative undertakings in the world.

According to him, the election will involve more than 103 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units spread across 774 local government areas, with elections covering the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state assembly positions.

He disclosed that INEC had completed 10 of the 14 major operational milestones stipulated by the Electoral Act 2026.

The commission has also procured additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) units, digitised candidate nominations through the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal (ICNP), which is processing more than 15,000 nominations across 22 political parties, and introduced online voter registration for the first time in Nigeria.

Amupitan identified several areas where artificial intelligence could improve election administration, including predictive logistics and route optimisation, automated assistance with result audits, biometric database management, multilingual voter engagement through Natural Language Processing, and AI-driven cybersecurity defence.

However, he stressed that the adoption of AI would not replace human responsibility in critical electoral processes.

According to him, no critical electoral decision, result collation, voter accreditation or candidate qualification would be fully automated or delegated to an autonomous system.

“Human accountability, statutory oversight, and judicial review will remain paramount at every stage of the electoral chain,” he said.