Tinubu, 16 Presidential Candidates Sign 2027 Peace Accord Ahead of Campaigns

President Bola Tinubu and 16 other presidential candidates on Tuesday committed to peaceful and issue-driven campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections, signing a National Peace Accord that rejects violence, hate speech, misinformation and artificial intelligence-generated disinformation.

Tinubu, who was represented at the Abuja ceremony by George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), called on political parties and their candidates to put the country’s interests ahead of individual and partisan ambitions as the campaign season begins on Wednesday.

The National Peace Committee organised the signing in collaboration with The Kukah Centre, a day before the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections.

The agreement comes amid concerns over Nigeria’s history of electoral violence, intimidation, inflammatory political rhetoric and disputes arising from elections.

Since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999, several elections have been characterised by violence, with the 2011 general elections witnessing deadly clashes in different parts of the country.

Led by Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Head of State, the National Peace Committee has, since 2015, facilitated peace agreements designed to lower tensions during elections and encourage political parties to focus on policies and programmes instead of personal attacks and identity-based politics.

Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Seyi Makinde, Oyo State governor and presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), did not attend the ceremony physically but were represented.

Peter Obi of the NDC, Adewale Adebayo of the SDP, Donald Duke of the PRP, Chibuzor Okereke of the LP and Omoyele Sowore of the AAC were among the 17 presidential candidates present at the event.

Other political figures at the ceremony included Nentawe Yilwatda, APC National Chairman; Barau Jibrin, Deputy Senate President; and Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, PRP National Chairman, alongside other political leaders and lawmakers.

Speaking through Akume, Tinubu said disagreements among political actors were an unavoidable part of democratic practice but cautioned candidates against using ethnic and religious sentiments to gain political advantage.

“Let us campaign on superior ideas. Let us debate issues and promote the best policies to expand opportunities for our people,” he said.

The President said the APC was opposed to violence, hate speech, misinformation and incitement, including attempts to manipulate public opinion through artificial intelligence and social media.

“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.

Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said the accord should not be viewed merely as a ceremonial event, describing it as an effort to set acceptable standards for political conduct before campaigns begin.

“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,” Amupitan said.

He cautioned political actors against hate speech, organised misinformation, premature declarations of victory and the abuse of digital platforms, stressing that the rise of artificial intelligence and social media had introduced fresh challenges for election management.

Amupitan said INEC was making preparations to deploy about 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units for the elections.

Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, argued that politicians should not require a peace agreement before acting responsibly, and urged Nigerians to deny electoral support to candidates who violate the accord.

“Can we have an election where people’s vote will count?” Obi asked.

Sowore, the AAC presidential candidate, took a different position, calling for what he described as a “Justice Accord”. He argued that lasting peace would be difficult to achieve without justice and accountability.

The Nigeria Police, represented by Umar Shehu, Deputy Inspector-General, pledged to provide security throughout the electoral process and ensure Nigerians can exercise their franchise without fear.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Assembly elections are slated for February 6.