Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde stayed away on Tuesday when presidential and National Assembly candidates gathered in Abuja to sign the first National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections, just hours before campaigns officially began.
The accord, organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre, saw signatories pledge to steer clear of electoral violence, hate speech, misinformation and personal attacks that could damage the credibility of the polls.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, led the list of dignitaries present, alongside Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, party leaders, diplomats and other stakeholders. President Bola Tinubu was represented by the SGF, Senator George Akume, while NDC’s Peter Obi, SDP’s Adewole Adebayo and AAC’s Omoyele Sowore all appended their signatures.
Also on hand were APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda; PRP’s Donald Duke; Labour Party’s Chibuzor Okereke; Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin; and PRP chairman Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
But Atiku, flying the ADC flag, and Makinde, contesting under the Allied Peoples’ Movement, were conspicuously missing. The National Peace Committee chairman, former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), was represented by ex-Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Martin Agwai (retd.).
Under INEC’s revised timetable, presidential and National Assembly elections hold January 16, 2027, with governorship and state assembly polls following on February 6.
Tinubu: Fight on Ideas, Not Ethnicity
In his remarks read by Akume, Tinubu urged candidates to place national interest above personal ambition and warned against turning the polls into a do-or-die contest. He cautioned against exploiting ethnic and religious sentiments, insisting the 2027 race should be decided on ideas and policies.
“It is natural during campaigns to disagree as opponents… but as members of the same national family, we must never resort to divisive and primordial sentiments of ethnicity or religion as tools for seeking power,” he said, adding that the APC remained committed to rejecting violence and digital manipulation.
He credited the National Peace Committee’s work since 2014 and pointed to INEC’s use of PVCs and BVAS as proof of growing confidence in the electoral system.
Amupitan: Polls Are Not Warfare
Amupitan described the accord as a chance to set ethical boundaries before campaigns formally kicked off on Wednesday, August 19. He warned of an “alarming resurgence” of hate speech and coordinated misinformation, based on data from the Committee’s Election Security Information Hub.
“Electoral contests in a constitutional democracy are not total wars; they are competitive job interviews before the electorate. Nigerians do not want insults; they want solutions,” he said.
The INEC boss disclosed plans to deploy about 1.4 million ad hoc staff across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide, while insisting the commission had no preferred candidate.
Abdulsalami: Accord Has Legal Backing
Represented by Agwai, Abdulsalami revealed the Committee has brokered 30 peace accords since 2015 — five national and 25 subnational — alongside faith-based peace structures in 23 states. He lamented that campaigns had drifted from manifestoes toward name-calling, stressing the accord was anchored on the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
Obi: Leaders Should Not Need a Pact to Behave
Obi argued that candidates shouldn’t require an accord to act responsibly. “You can’t answer ‘His Excellency’ without being an excellent person,” he said. Asked about violence during the recent Osun governorship poll, he said he signed because he believes in changing the system from within, and called for accountability over lives lost in that election.
Sowore: It’s Just a Ritual
Sowore dismissed the pact as toothless, citing the Osun election deaths as proof previous accords have failed. “How can you say, in good conscience, that an election that led to the death of 50 citizens of any country is a peaceful election?” he asked, also accusing INEC of delays in uploading Osun results. He called instead for a “justice accord” with real sanctions.
Police Pledge Neutrality
IGP Disu, represented by DIG Umar Shehu, assured that police would protect voters and candidates without bias. “The Nigeria Police is not interested in who wins or loses but is committed to a peaceful election,” Shehu said, urging parties to cooperate with security agencies.
IPAC Chairman Yusuf Dantalle rounded off the event with a call for restraint, urging political actors to reject fake news and personal attacks in favour of civil debate.
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