Ahead of the 2027 general election, President Bola Tinubu alongside Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore signed the national peace accord.
The signing ceremony took place on Tuesday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Center in Abuja, bringing together key political figures, including presidential, gubernatorial, and National Assembly candidates, as well as party chairmen.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Joash Amupitan was also present at the gathering.
George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), spoke on behalf of Tinubu during the signing ceremony.
Speaking on Tinubu’s behalf, Akume commended the National Peace Committee (NPC) leadership, which includes former president Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, for organising the event and maintaining the peace initiative since 2014.
According to Akume, the fierce rivalry for political power in Nigeria’s elections has continued to induce worry.
“Since 1999, every election period has brought its share of anxiety because of the nature of our politics and the intense competition for power by political actors,” he said.
However, he claimed that the nation had made strides in election administration and transparency, especially with regard to the use of technology.
According to the SGF, political leaders’ pledge to put the country’s interests ahead of their own was demonstrated by the signing of the agreement.
Akume also advised political players to refrain from using ethnicity and religion as a means of gaining political power, as well as from using divisive rhetoric.
Don’t vote for anyone who violates the peace accord.
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has called on Nigerians to vote against politicians who breach electoral peace agreements ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the appeal on Tuesday in Abuja during the National Peace Accord signing ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee in collaboration with The Kukah Centre.
The former Anambra State governor said politicians who fail to honour their commitments to peaceful elections should face the consequences through the ballot box.
“Because I want to change the process, I have to go through it. You can’t answer his excellency without being an excellent person. The process that will make you answer his excellency should be excellent,” Obi said.
“The punishment is that Nigerians should not vote for them,” Obi said.
Backstory…
The signing comes on the eve of the official commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, as political parties and candidates prepare for what is expected to be a highly competitive contest.
The National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, organised the accord to encourage peaceful campaigns, issue-based political engagement and respect for Nigeria’s electoral institutions.
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