President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore and other presidential candidates and political actors have signed the first National Peace Accord on issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday in Abuja at a ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre, barely 24 hours before the statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the elections.
The political actors pledged to reject violence, hate speech, misinformation, incitement, personal attacks and other forms of conduct capable of undermining the electoral process.
The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan; political party leaders; presidential and National Assembly candidates; Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; members of the diplomatic community and other stakeholders.
President Tinubu was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. Other candidates who signed the accord included the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi; Social Democratic Party candidate, Adewole Adebayo; and African Action Congress candidate, Omoyele Sowore.
Also present were APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda; presidential candidates of the Peoples Redemption Party and Labour Party, Donald Duke and Chibuzor Okereke; Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin; PRP National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed; lawmakers, party leaders and other candidates.
However, former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples’ Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, were absent.
The National Peace Committee Chairman and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was represented by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Agwai.
The agreement comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with the economy, insecurity, unemployment, poverty, infrastructure, healthcare, education and electoral credibility expected to dominate the campaigns.
According to INEC’s revised timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections will take place on February 6, 2027.
Tinubu Calls for Issue-Based Campaigns
Speaking through Akume, President Tinubu urged political parties and candidates to place national interest above personal and partisan ambitions.
He warned that political competition must not degenerate into a struggle in which ethnic or religious sentiments are exploited to mobilise voters.
“Signing this peace accord is a solemn pledge to the Nigerian people that we, as leaders, will put the nation’s interests above personal or partisan ambitions,” Tinubu said.
The President acknowledged that political campaigns would naturally involve disagreements and competing ideas but maintained that political differences should not threaten national unity.
He urged candidates to focus on policies, programmes and practical solutions to the challenges confronting Nigerians.
“Let us campaign on superior ideas. Let us debate issues and promote the best policies to expand opportunities for our people,” he said.
Tinubu also pledged the commitment of the All Progressives Congress to the agreement, saying the party would reject violence, hate speech, misinformation, incitement and digital manipulation.
“Our party rejects violence, hate speech, the spread of misinformation, including through artificial intelligence, and all forms of incitement, especially via social media,” he said.
The President commended the National Peace Committee for its interventions in Nigeria’s electoral process since 2014, noting that the initiative had helped political actors publicly commit themselves to peaceful elections.
He also cited technological improvements in the electoral system, including the Permanent Voter Cards, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and electronic accreditation processes.
‘Campaigns Are Not Wars’
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, described the accord as more than a ceremonial exercise, saying it was intended to establish the ethical boundaries of the 2027 electoral contest.
He noted that Wednesday, August 19, marked the statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the elections.
“Before the first campaign flag is unfurled, before the first rally is staged, and before political rhetoric fills our public space, it is necessary that those who seek to lead this nation first gather to establish the ethical boundaries of their contest,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman said intelligence from the National Peace Committee’s Election Security Information Hub had indicated an “alarming resurgence” of hate speech, toxic polarisation, coordinated misinformation and personality-driven political discourse.
He urged political parties and candidates to make the economy, security, infrastructure, healthcare, education and social inclusion central to their campaigns.
Amupitan described elections as a competition for public office rather than warfare.
“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.
He also warned political parties and supporters against premature victory declarations and the circulation of unverified information on social media.
According to him, the increasing use of artificial intelligence and digital platforms has created new challenges for election management, particularly through disinformation and foreign information manipulation.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC was preparing to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad hoc personnel for the 2027 elections across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
He said the commission was drawing lessons from recent off-cycle elections, including those in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory Area Council election.
The INEC chairman assured political parties that the commission had no preferred candidate and would provide a level playing field for all contestants.
He, however, stressed that technology and administrative preparedness alone could not guarantee peaceful elections.
“We provide the pitch and the refereeing, but the quality of the game depends on the players,” Amupitan said.
Obi Questions Need for Peace Accord
Peter Obi said political leaders should not need a peace accord before conducting themselves responsibly.
According to him, anyone seeking public office should demonstrate exemplary conduct before being elected.
“We don’t even need to sign this. We’re seeking an office where we should be exemplary. You can’t answer ‘His Excellency’ without being an excellent person,” Obi said.
Asked whether he still had confidence in the accord following reports of violence during the recent Osun governorship election, Obi said he participated because he wanted to change the political system from within.
“Because I want to change the process, I have to go through it, so I have to believe in it,” he said.
Obi said the most important consideration should be whether the conduct of political candidates reflects the offices they seek.
He called on political parties to campaign around the problems confronting Nigerians and ensure that their conduct did not undermine democratic values.
The former Anambra State governor also called for remembrance and accountability over deaths reportedly linked to the Osun election, urging political actors to ensure that no Nigerian loses their life because of an election.
Asked what concerned him most about the 2027 election, Obi said his major concern was the integrity of the electoral process.
“I don’t have any fear, 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 asked.
On sanctions for candidates who violate the peace accord, Obi said voters should punish them at the polls.
“The punishment is that Nigerians should not vote for them,” he said.
Sowore: Accord Is a Ritual
Omoyele Sowore took a different position, describing the peace accord as a ritual with limited practical value.
The AAC candidate said his participation should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the effectiveness of the process, arguing that previous agreements had failed to prevent electoral violence.
“I don’t have faith in it. I’m bringing faith to the system. Those are two different things,” Sowore said.
He questioned the description of the recent Osun governorship election as peaceful, alleging that about 50 people died in connection with the poll.
Sowore also criticised INEC’s handling of the electronic transmission and uploading of election results from Osun, arguing that timely uploading of results was essential to public confidence in the electoral process.
He said a peace agreement without enforceable sanctions could amount to little more than a ceremony.
The AAC candidate called for what he described as a “justice accord” that would impose consequences on candidates and political actors who violate the terms of the agreement.
Police Pledge Neutrality
The Nigeria Police Force also pledged neutrality during the electoral process.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Umar Shehu.
Shehu said the police were not concerned about which candidate or party emerged victorious but would focus on ensuring that eligible Nigerians could exercise their franchise without intimidation.
“The Nigeria Police is not interested in who wins or loses but is interested and committed to a peaceful election where Nigerians of eligible age will exercise their franchise without fear,” he said.
The police urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to cooperate with security agencies and avoid actions capable of triggering violence before, during and after the elections.
IPAC Calls for Restraint
The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, urged political parties, candidates, campaign councils and spokespersons to respect the provisions of the peace accord.
He called for restraint and urged political actors to avoid fake news, personal attacks and inflammatory statements.
Dantalle instead advocated tolerance, civility and constructive political debate as the 2027 campaign season gets underway.
The National Peace Committee said the accord was designed to encourage political parties and candidates to compete on the basis of ideas, policies and programmes while respecting opposing views, protecting voters and rejecting hate speech and misinformation.
With campaigns officially commencing today, the effectiveness of the agreement will ultimately depend not only on the signatures appended by political actors but on whether candidates, parties and their supporters translate its commitments into conduct throughout the electoral cycle.
