Chieftains of political parties at the signing of the peace accord.
President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) candidate, among others, have signed the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The signing ceremony, held on Tuesday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, was attended by representatives of other presidential candidates, governorship and National Assembly contestants, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, political party chairmen and other prominent political leaders.
The event was organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) and marked the first phase of the peace accord process. The second phase is expected to take place after the 2027 elections.
The accord is intended to provide a framework for peaceful political engagement ahead of the January and February elections.
Obi Calls for Credible, Violence-Free Elections
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Obi called for a credible and peaceful election in which the votes of Nigerians would count.
The former Anambra State governor urged politicians to put the interests of the country and its citizens above personal ambitions.
“I don’t have any fear [going into next year’s election] except to say that, please, for the sake of the children of Nigeria, can we have an election where people’s votes will count?” he said.
Obi also urged Nigerians not to vote for candidates or political parties that violate the provisions of the peace accord.
Asked what punishment should be imposed on those who breach the agreement, he said, “The punishment is that Nigerians should not vote for them.”
He further urged contestants to set a good example as the elections approach.
“You can’t answer ‘His Excellency’ without being an excellent person,” Obi said, stressing that candidates must conduct themselves properly throughout the electoral process.
Tinubu Rejects Electoral Violence
President Tinubu, who was represented at the event by SGF George Akume, commended the leadership of the National Peace Committee, including former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, for sustaining the peace initiative since 2014.
Tinubu also highlighted technological improvements in Nigeria’s electoral system, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which he said had helped curb electoral malpractice and strengthened the power of voters.
He cited recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti as examples of improved transparency, noting that different political parties emerged victorious in the elections.
According to him, greater transparency in the electoral process would help reduce post-election litigation and make politicians more accountable to voters.
The President reaffirmed the APC’s commitment to the peace accord and condemned electoral violence, hate speech, misinformation and incitement on social media.
“Let us remember that elections are not a do-or-die affair. We are partners in the project of nation-building. Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner,” he said.
INEC Reaffirms Neutrality
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan reiterated the commission’s commitment to conducting free, fair and credible elections, stressing that the electoral body would remain neutral.
“INEC has no interest in who wins or loses any election. The commission does not have a candidate, nor does it favour any political platform,” he said.
Amupitan urged political parties and candidates to make the 2027 campaign a contest of policies and ideas rather than personal attacks.
“Let the 2027 election campaign be a marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” he said.
According to the INEC chairman, Nigerians are interested in practical solutions rather than insults and deserve clear, concrete and measurable manifestos from candidates.
Amupitan also assured Nigerians that the commission was building on previous achievements as it prepares for the 2027 elections.
He said preparations were progressing and that INEC was scaling up its logistics to manage about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
Kukah Calls for Better Living Conditions
Speaking to Channels Television before the signing, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah urged political leaders to ensure that Nigerians experience tangible improvements in their quality of life.
“Ordinary Nigerians need to see a qualitative and measurable improvement in the quality of their lives. We are not just handing you our votes, and then you take the votes and run with them,” he said.
Kukah also called for greater citizen participation in the electoral process, stressing that the responsibility for credible elections should not rest solely with INEC.
He said Nigerians needed to be better informed and more actively involved in the democratic process, noting that the capacity of ordinary citizens to influence electoral outcomes was often underestimated.
The signing ceremony was held a day before the official commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
First introduced ahead of the 2015 general elections, the National Peace Accord commits political parties and their candidates to peaceful conduct and issue-based campaigns before, during and after elections.
