For years, politics in the Federal Capital Territory has been characterised by shifting alliances, competing interests and promises that often disappear after elections. But as the 2027 general elections approach, a new political narrative is beginning to emerge — one built around unity, continuity and the politics of oneness, writes Aba O.Aba, Our Special Editor in Abuja.
That narrative is being championed by the Accord Party, which is positioning itself as a potential game changer in the FCT, with a message that seeks to move politics away from division and toward collective development. Under the banner of “When There’s Oneness, There’s Progress,” Accord is seeking to turn unity into a political instrument for transforming the nation’s capital.
The party’s proposition is particularly significant in the FCT, a territory often described as Nigeria in miniature because of its diverse population. The capital brings together people from virtually every part of the country, making it a unique political environment where ethnicity, religion, indigene-settler sentiments and political affiliations can either become sources of division or ingredients for a stronger collective identity.
It is against this background that Accord’s “politics of oneness” assumes greater significance. Rather than presenting the 2027 contest merely as another battle for political offices, the party is attempting to frame the election as a choice between continuity with purpose and the repetition of old political patterns.
The reference to the FCT’s political “Bermuda Triangle” captures the frustration of citizens who believe that political energy has too often been consumed by rivalry, manoeuvring and personality-driven contests instead of being converted into measurable development. Accord’s emerging message is that the cycle can be broken when political actors and voters begin to place the collective interest above individual or sectional calculations.
For Accord, the FCT provides perhaps the clearest testing ground for this philosophy. The territory requires political representation capable of bringing together its numerous communities and interests while addressing issues ranging from infrastructure and transportation to security, housing, employment, education and access to social services. The party’s challenge, therefore, is to convince voters that unity should not remain a slogan but become the foundation of governance.
The 2027 election may consequently become more than a contest among political parties. It could become a referendum on the kind of politics residents of the FCT want going forward, politics of division and perpetual competition, or politics of cooperation, continuity and shared progress. Accord is betting heavily on the latter.
Its, Vote Accord, Vote Continuity message is designed to reinforce that argument. The party is seeking to present its candidates not simply as contestants for elective positions, but as representatives of a broader political philosophy in which competence, inclusion and collective interest take precedence over the politics of exclusion.
The road to 2027, however, will test whether the politics of oneness can translate into electoral strength. Political slogans alone rarely determine elections. Accord will have to demonstrate organisational capacity, produce credible candidates, build grassroots structures and convince a politically sophisticated FCT electorate that its promise of unity can deliver tangible results.
Yet, the party’s emerging intervention has already introduced a different dimension into the political conversation. In a territory where virtually every community has a stake, the argument that “no one is left out” could prove politically powerful if it is backed by credible candidates and a clear development agenda.
Ultimately, the real test for Accord will be whether it can transform the language of oneness into a movement capable of crossing ethnic, religious, geographical and political boundaries. If it succeeds, 2027 could mark the beginning of a new political equation in the FCT — one in which unity is not merely celebrated rhetorically but deployed as a pathway to development.
For a territory created to symbolise the unity of Nigeria, that may be the most compelling political proposition of all: when there is oneness, there is progress.
This can also be sharpened into a more punchy Sunday newspaper centre-spread version, with a stronger political analysis of why Accord could actually disrupt the established FCT political structure in 2027.
