2027 ELECTIONS: TINUBU, OBI, SOWORE, OTHER CANDIDATES SIGN PEACE ACCORD
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By: Fasasi Hammad
Presidential candidates and national chairmen of major political parties on Tuesday signed the first National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu was represented at the ceremony by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, who signed the accord alongside the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, and African Action Congress candidate Omoyele Sowore also signed the agreement personally.
Other parties represented at the ceremony, organised by the National Peace Committee, included the Labour Party, Democratic Leadership Alliance, National Democratic Party, National Rescue Movement, Social Democratic Party, Youth Party, Young Progressives Party and Zenith Labour Party, among others.
The event was held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, where party leaders and candidates took turns signing the accord.
The National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), said the agreement was intended to promote peaceful, issue-based campaigns and strengthen democratic stability ahead of the elections.
However, Sowore criticised the accord, describing it as a “ritual” and questioning its effectiveness in preventing electoral violence.
He cited deaths recorded during the August 15 Osun State governorship election, alleging that individuals who had signed previous peace agreements later engaged in violence.
Sowore called instead for a “Justice Accord” that would impose sanctions on political parties and candidates who violate the commitments contained in the peace agreement.
Obi, while supporting the peace initiative, urged politicians to conduct issue-based campaigns and ensure their behaviour reflects the responsibilities of the offices they seek.
The former Anambra State governor also called on Nigerians and political actors to remember those who lost their lives during the recent Osun governorship election, stressing that no Nigerian should have to die because of an election.
The ceremony featured goodwill messages from the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan; Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot; and Switzerland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Patrick Egloff.
The event also included the signing of the accord by National Assembly and governorship candidates, party chairmen, presidential candidates, the INEC chairman and the Inspector-General of Police.
The signing marked the first National Peace Accord involving political parties and candidates contesting the 2027 general elections under the leadership of the National Peace Committee.
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