Tinubu, Obi, Others Sign Peace Accord Ahead of 2027 Election
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other presidential candidates on Tuesday signed the first National Peace Accord on issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) notably absent from the ceremony.
The accord, facilitated by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre, commits political parties, presidential candidates and their supporters to peaceful campaigns, respect for electoral institutions and issue-based political engagement.
The signing ceremony was held in Abuja on the eve of the official commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
The National Peace Committee is chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, while Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah serves as its convener.
Those present included President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi; Social Democratic Party candidate Adewole Adebayo; African Action Congress candidate Omoyele Sowore; and other political leaders and presidential candidates.
The absence of Atiku and the ADC was conspicuous as political parties intensified preparations for what is expected to be one of Nigeria’s most competitive electoral contests.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the accord was being signed at a critical stage of the electoral calendar, with campaigns scheduled to officially commence on Wednesday, August 19.
He said the presidential and National Assembly elections would be held on January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections were scheduled for February 6.
Amupitan said the timing of the accord was deliberate, stressing the need for political actors to establish clear ethical boundaries before campaigns and rallies commenced nationwide.
He expressed concern over the resurgence of hate speech, toxic political polarisation, coordinated misinformation and personality-driven campaigns.
According to him, political discourse was increasingly shifting away from policy debates towards character assassination, identity-based provocation and inflammatory rhetoric.
The INEC chairman urged candidates to focus their campaigns on the major challenges confronting Nigerians, including economic growth, insecurity, infrastructure, healthcare, education and social inclusion.
“Electoral contests in a constitutional democracy are not total wars; they are competitive job interviews before the electorate,” he said.
Amupitan urged political parties to transform the 2027 elections into a “marketplace of ideas” where candidates would clearly explain both what they intended to accomplish and how they planned to achieve their objectives.
He also warned parties and their supporters against using social media and other digital platforms to circulate false information, fake election results and other content capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
The INEC chairman said the commission was preparing to deploy about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units, adding that INEC had spent the past eight months strengthening its technology, logistics and personnel training.
He, however, stressed that technological improvements alone could not guarantee credible elections without responsible conduct by political actors.
“It is not the signatures written on this Accord today that preserve democracy; it is the character of the leaders who hold the pen,” Amupitan said.
He urged political leaders to ensure that the commitments contained in the accord were communicated to their supporters at the state, local government, ward and grassroots levels.
Amupitan also reiterated that INEC had no interest in determining electoral winners, saying the commission’s responsibility was to provide a transparent, credible and level playing field for all contestants.
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Umar Shehu, similarly warned political actors against conduct capable of undermining electoral security.
Disu said election security was not created on election day but developed throughout the electoral cycle through the conduct of political parties, candidates and their supporters.
He called for campaigns based on policies and competing visions rather than ethnic mobilisation, religious division, hatred, intimidation and violence.
The police chief warned that inflammatory statements could spread rapidly through television, social media and other communication platforms, with the potential to trigger violence within communities.
He also warned against the use of armed groups, criminal elements and illegal firearms to intimidate political opponents or disrupt campaign activities.
According to him, political parties must take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters and campaign organisations.
“You cannot publicly preach peace while privately encouraging violence,” he said.
Read Also:
Disu further called for greater participation of women, youths, persons with disabilities and other traditionally underrepresented groups in the political process.
He said a peaceful election should not merely be defined by the absence of violence but by an environment in which citizens feel sufficiently safe to exercise their democratic rights.
The Chairman of the National Peace Committee, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said the committee had facilitated 30 peace accords since 2015, comprising five national accords ahead of the 2015, 2019 and 2023 elections and 25 subnational agreements.
He added that the committee had established faith-based peace structures in 23 states to complement its peace-building initiatives.
Abdulsalami said the issue-based peace accord was introduced in 2019 in response to the increasing use of personal attacks, insults and character assassination during political campaigns.
He said political parties and candidates were expected to compete on the basis of ideas, policies and programmes, debate opposing views respectfully, organise their supporters peacefully and respect electoral institutions.
The former Head of State explained that the accord was anchored on the Constitution, the Electoral Act and other relevant laws, stressing that it was designed to remind political actors of their legal and moral responsibilities throughout the electoral process.
He also disclosed that the committee had established an Election Security Information Hub to monitor electoral offences and security developments and provide early-warning information ahead of the elections.
Abdulsalami urged candidates and party spokespersons to shun fake news, personal attacks and inflammatory statements and instead focus on issues affecting the lives and welfare of Nigerians.
Representing President Tinubu, SGF George Akume said the President and the All Progressives Congress (APC) remained committed to the principles contained in the accord.
Akume commended the National Peace Committee for its efforts towards promoting peaceful elections and said Nigeria had recorded improvements in election management through the deployment of technology by INEC.
He cited the Permanent Voter Cards, biometric voter accreditation and other technological measures as developments that had strengthened the electoral process.
Akume also noted that recent off-cycle elections demonstrated Nigerians’ capacity to conduct peaceful elections when the process and outcomes were transparent.
He urged political parties to avoid ethnic and religious sentiments and focus their campaigns on policies capable of expanding opportunities and improving the lives of Nigerians.
“As the campaign season kicks off, I commit myself and my party, the All Progressives Congress, to the tenets of this accord,” he said.
Akume added that the APC rejected violence, hate speech, misinformation, including content generated through artificial intelligence, and incitement on social media.
However, the accord attracted criticism from some opposition candidates.
Obi urged political actors to ensure that no Nigerian lost their life because of an election, while calling on candidates to demonstrate the character expected of individuals seeking public office.
Reacting to deaths recorded during the recently concluded Osun governorship election, Obi urged politicians to remember the victims and support their families.
“Nobody needs to die for an election,” he said.
The Labour Party candidate also questioned the need for political actors to sign a peace accord, arguing that those seeking public office should naturally conduct themselves responsibly.
“We don’t even need to sign this. We’re seeking an office where we should be exemplary,” Obi said.
He called for an electoral system in which citizens’ votes would genuinely count, urging voters to hold politicians accountable by rejecting candidates who violate their commitments.
The SDP presidential candidate, Adebayo, was more critical of the initiative, describing the accord as ineffective without justice, accountability and respect for democratic principles.
He argued that previous peace agreements had been violated without consequences and alleged that opposition politicians were being intimidated by government institutions.
Adebayo maintained that a credible electoral environment required government institutions, security agencies and INEC to discharge their constitutional responsibilities independently and transparently.
He also questioned whether the recently concluded Osun governorship election represented an improvement in Nigeria’s electoral process, citing deaths recorded during the poll.
Despite the divergent views, the National Peace Committee maintained that the accord was intended to provide a framework for peaceful political competition as campaigns commence.
The central message from the organisers, electoral authorities and security agencies was that the 2027 elections should be decided by voters through ideas, policies and programmes rather than violence, intimidation, hate speech or inflammatory rhetoric.
With campaigns officially commencing on Wednesday, the effectiveness of the peace accord will ultimately depend on whether political parties, candidates and their supporters translate the commitments made at the signing ceremony into responsible conduct across the country.
By PRNigeria
