Presidential candidates and national chairpersons of political parties contesting the 2027 general elections have signed a national peace accord in Abuja, pledging to conduct peaceful and issue-based campaigns ahead of the commencement of electioneering..
The accord, facilitated by the National Peace Committee, NPC, chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, in partnership with The Kukah Centre, commits political actors to upholding the Constitution, the Electoral Act, guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and other laws governing elections.
The signing ceremony, held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, was attended by several presidential candidates, including Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, and Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
INEC’s timetable for the 2027 general elections sets Wednesday, August 19, 2026, as the commencement date for campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections, making the ceremony a major peace-building activity ahead of the campaign season.
President Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was absent and was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, signed the accord on behalf of the party.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, was also absent. Other parties represented at the ceremony included the Labour Party, Democratic Leadership Alliance, National Democratic Party, National Rescue Movement, Youth Party, Young Progressives Party and Zenith Labour Party.
Representing the president, Mr Akume said the peace accord provided an opportunity for political parties and candidates to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful and transparent elections.
He commended members of the NPC, particularly General Abdulsalami and Bishop Matthew Kukah, for sustaining the initiative since 2014.
Mr Akume said Nigeria’s electoral process had improved through the use of technology, citing the Permanent Voter Cards and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System as measures that had strengthened the integrity of elections.
He also referenced recent governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, saying their outcomes demonstrated that political parties could win elections through the electoral process.
He urged political parties to campaign on policies rather than exploit ethnic and religious divisions for electoral advantage.
“Let us campaign on superior ideas. Let us debate issues and promote the best policies to expand opportunities for our people,” he said.
Mr Akume said the APC rejected violence, hate speech, misinformation, including misinformation generated or amplified through artificial intelligence, and incitement on social media. “Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner,” he said.
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Mr Sowore expressed scepticism about the ability of the peace accord to prevent electoral violence, describing the signing as a “ritual”.
Speaking to journalists after the ceremony, he said previous peace agreements had failed to prevent violence during elections and cited the violence and deaths recorded during the August 15 Osun State governorship election. “I don’t have faith in it. I’m bringing faith to the system. Those are two different things,” he said.
Mr Sowore argued that the accord would have little impact without consequences for violations. He called for a separate “Justice Accord” under which candidates and political parties that breach the peace agreement would face sanctions.
Mr Obi said politicians seeking public office should demonstrate responsible conduct without being compelled to sign peace agreements. He urged voters to hold politicians accountable by voting out those who violate their commitments.
Asked what sanction should apply to a candidate or party that breached the agreement, Mr Obi said Nigerians should vote against them. “You can’t answer ‘His Excellency’ without being an excellent person,” he said.
Mr Obi also called for a credible 2027 election in which votes would count, saying electoral contests should not result in the loss of lives. “For the sake of the children of Nigeria, can we have an election where people’s votes will count?” he asked.
The INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, said the signing came at a critical stage of the electoral timetable as campaigns for the 2027 elections were set to begin.
He urged political actors to establish acceptable standards of conduct as campaign activities intensify across the country.
Mr Amupitan expressed concern over the increasing use of hate speech, misinformation, political polarization and personal attacks during election campaigns.
He said political discourse was increasingly shifting from policy and governance issues to character attacks, identity-based mobilization and inflammatory rhetoric.
The INEC chairman urged candidates to focus their campaigns on issues affecting Nigerians, including economic growth, insecurity, infrastructure, healthcare, education and social inclusion.
“Electoral contests in a constitutional democracy are not total wars; they are competitive job interviews before the electorate,” he said.
The peace accord comes as political parties begin preparations for the 2027 presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
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