President Bola Tinubu of the All-Progressives Congress, Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, African Action Congress candidate Omoyele Sowore and Peoples Redemption Party candidate Donald Duke have signed the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, months before Nigerians head to the polls.
The event, organised by the National Peace Committee, brought together representatives of presidential candidates, governorship and National Assembly contestants, political party leaders and other stakeholders.
Also in attendance was the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, alongside the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and other senior political figures.
Tuesday’s ceremony represents the first phase of the peace accord exercise, with the second phase scheduled to take place after the 2027 elections.
The accord provides a framework for peaceful political engagement and issue-based campaigns in the period leading to the January and February 2027 elections.
Speaking before the signing, Obi called for a credible electoral process in which Nigerians’ votes would count.
“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?” Obi said.
The NDC candidate also urged Nigerians not to vote for candidates or political parties that violate the principles of the peace agreement.
Asked what should happen to politicians who breach the accord, Obi said the punishment should be for Nigerians to reject them at the polls.
He also urged candidates to conduct themselves in an exemplary manner as the elections approach.
“You can’t answer ‘His Excellency’ without being an excellent person,” Obi said, stressing the need for candidates to uphold high standards throughout the electoral process.
President Tinubu, who was represented at the ceremony by Akume, commended the National Peace Committee for sustaining the peace initiative since 2014.
He specifically praised the committee’s leadership, including former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.
Tinubu also pointed to technological developments in Nigeria’s electoral system, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, as measures that have improved the integrity of elections.
He cited recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti, saying the victories recorded by different political parties demonstrated growing transparency in the electoral process.
According to the President, credible and transparent elections could reduce post-election litigation and increase accountability among politicians.
He reaffirmed the APC’s commitment to the peace accord and rejected electoral violence, hate speech, misinformation and incitement on social media ahead of the 2027 elections.
“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.
The INEC Chairman, Amupitan, also assured political parties and Nigerians that the electoral commission would remain neutral during the 2027 elections.
“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 focus their campaigns on policies and solutions rather than personal attacks.
“Let the 2027 election campaign be a marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” he said.
The INEC chairman said Nigerians deserved to hear clear, concrete and measurable manifestos instead of insults from political candidates.
He also disclosed that preparations for the 2027 elections were progressing, with the commission scaling up its logistics to manage an estimated 1.4 million temporary election personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
Speaking ahead of the signing, Bishop Kukah urged political leaders to ensure that Nigerians experience tangible improvements in their quality of life as a result of political participation.
He also called on citizens to become more actively involved in the electoral process, arguing that the responsibility for credible elections should not rest solely with INEC.
The ceremony took place one day before the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
First signed ahead of the 2015 general elections, the National Peace Accord seeks to commit political parties and their candidates to peaceful conduct and issue-based campaigns before, during and after elections.
