President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday signed a peace accord committing the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to peaceful campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections, while issuing a pointed warning to political actors against exploiting ethnic and religious divisions in the race for power.
Speaking at the accord-signing ceremony in the nation’s capital, where he was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the President said the coming campaign season must be a “contest of ideas” rather than a descent into what he termed “primordial sentiments.”
“It is natural during campaigns to disagree as opponents and advocate competing governing visions for our country. We may exchange occasional political jabs. But as members of the same national family, we must never resort to divisive or primordial sentiments of ethnicity or religion as tools for seeking power,” Tinubu said.
In a notable inclusion, the President said the APC “rejects violence, hate speech, the spread of misinformation, including through artificial intelligence, and all forms of incitement, especially via social media” — an apparent acknowledgment of growing concerns over the use of deepfakes and AI-generated content in political campaigning.
“As the campaign season kicks off, I commit myself and my party, the All Progressives Congress, to the tenets of this accord,” he declared, urging opposition parties to follow suit.
“Elections are not a do-or-die affair”
The President invoked the language of national unity, telling candidates and their supporters 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.”
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He also called for policy-driven campaigns, saying: “Let us campaign on superior ideas. Let us debate issues and promote the best policies to expand opportunities for our people and accelerate Nigeria’s journey from a developing nation to a first-world country.”
Tinubu commended the National Peace Committee — convened by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah — for its sustained role since 2014 in brokering peace accords between rival political parties.
The President also defended the electoral record of the Independent National Electoral Commission, crediting technology such as the Permanent Voter’s Card and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System with curbing ballot stuffing and vote manipulation, and boosting public confidence in elections.
He pointed to the three off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states — held between October 2025 and August 15, 2026 — as evidence of progress, noting that different political parties emerged victorious in polls that local and international observers described as “free, credible and transparent.” He added that improved transparency had reduced post-election litigation.
Beyond the ballot
Framing democracy as more than periodic voting, Tinubu said it encompasses “citizens’ participation in national affairs, confidence in public institutions, civic engagement, good governance, justice and equity.”
He called on civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support efforts to deepen Nigeria’s democratic culture, expressing confidence that adherence to the accord would deliver peaceful campaigns and credible elections in 2027.
Crediblenewsng.com
