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President Bola Tinubu was represented at the signing of the 2027 General Election Peace Accord by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, as presidential candidates and political party leaders gathered to pledge their commitment to peaceful elections.
Video footage aired by Channels TV showed the candidates and party representatives taking turns to approach the table and sign the agreement.
An MC at the ceremony described the signing as a moment for political parties and candidates to acknowledge that, regardless of their differences over how Nigeria should be governed, “this great nation must move forward in peace and harmony.”
He stressed that the exercise was not simply about signing documents or putting pen to paper, but represented a serious commitment by the political actors to maintaining peace throughout the electoral process.
The National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has organised similar peace accords during previous election cycles in an effort to reduce political tension and promote democratic stability.
However, former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore was far from convinced. Speaking with journalists after the ceremony, he described the peace accord as a mere “ritual”, pointing to the deaths recorded during the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.
“I don’t have faith in it. I’m bringing faith to the system. Those are two different things,” Sowore said.He questioned the value of repeatedly signing peace agreements when political actors allegedly return to violence after putting pen to paper.“The people who signed the peace accord in Osun State killed 50 people after they signed the peace accord.”
Sowore continued: “So if you meant anything at all, why would you sign the peace accord and then go and carry a gun after that and kill 50 people? What will you be expecting after signing today’s peace accord? We conclude the ritual and move on to campaigning.”
Rather than another peace agreement, Sowore called for what he described as a “Justice Accord”, arguing that the agreement should contain clear sanctions for candidates and political parties that violate its provisions.
Meanwhile, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi urged politicians to keep their campaigns peaceful and focused on the issues affecting ordinary Nigerians.
Obi said political actors must behave in a manner that reflects the offices they are seeking, rather than allowing campaigns to descend into personal attacks and violence.
“We have a peaceful, issue-based campaign. We must, for the sake of this country, ensure that our conduct reflects the office we’re seeking, our behaviour. We must do the right thing and campaign on issues that Nigerians are going through today,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor also called for the families of those who lost their lives during the recent Osun governorship election to be remembered and supported.
“Let us not forget those who died in ensuring that the election in Osun was achieved, the way it went. We should visit them, console their families, remain prayerful and conduct ourselves in a way that in our democracy, nobody needs to die for an election.”
He added: “It is painful, and I wish it never happens again.”
The contrasting positions have once again brought the effectiveness of Nigeria’s electoral peace accords into focus, with Obi advocating restraint and issue-based campaigns, while Sowore is demanding something stronger: an agreement with consequences for those who break it.
