The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his absence from the signing of the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adebayo said the President’s failure to attend the ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday sent the wrong signal to political actors, security agencies, and government officials about his commitment to peaceful elections.
He spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today program shortly after the signing ceremony.
“President Tinubu is not showing up today; he is showing that he is not committed to peace. He is sending a wrong signal to law enforcement, for the people who work for the government, that the President looks like he is not committed enough,” Adebayo said.
The SDP candidate urged Tinubu to publicly explain his absence and reaffirm his commitment to the peace process.
“So, he needs to correct that by making a clear statement explaining why he is absent and making sure that he makes a statement committing himself to the peace process. There is no issue more state-grand than the President showing that democracy is important. There is no more national security than the continuity of the state. The state has to exist, and a free, fair, and credible election is important for establishing civil government,” he said.
Adebayo also questioned the decision to have the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, represent the President at the event.
“Oh, please, this is an insult to the process. The SGF is not involved in the election. You have your Vice President who could come. I don’t see any reason why President Tinubu, who works and lives in Abuja and who has the influence on influencing the date when the thing will be signed and who has given assurance that he will come, I see that President Tinubu has been missing in action,” he said.
Tinubu represented by SGF
The National Peace Accord was signed on Tuesday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, barely a day before the official commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
Tinubu was represented by Akume, while several presidential candidates, political party leaders, National Assembly candidates, and other stakeholders attended the ceremony.
Those who participated included Adebayo, Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), and Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, the Allied Peoples’ Movement presidential candidate, were among prominent political figures absent from the event.
The accord, organized by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Center, commits political parties and candidates to peaceful, issue-based campaigns and to rejecting violence, hate speech, misinformation, and other actions that could undermine the electoral process.
The accord was first introduced ahead of the 2015 general elections, with the National Peace Committee subsequently facilitating a series of national and sub-national agreements aimed at reducing electoral violence.
The Chairman of the National Peace Committee, former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), was represented at Tuesday’s ceremony by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Martin Agwai (retd.).
Tinubu commits to a peaceful election
Although Tinubu did not attend the ceremony in person, he delivered a message through Akume, pledging his commitment to the accord.
“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.
He warned political actors against using ethnic and religious sentiments to mobilise voters and urged candidates to focus their campaigns on competing policies and ideas.
“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 said the All Progressives Congress remained committed to peaceful and transparent elections.
According to him, “Our party rejects violence, hate speech, the spread of misinformation, including through artificial intelligence, and all forms of incitement, especially via social media.
“We are committed to peaceful, transparent elections that will strengthen political stability, social harmony, economic progress, and our nation’s prosperity. I encourage other political parties and political actors to do the same.’’
He said elections should not be treated as a contest in which political opponents become enemies.
“Let us remember that elections are not a do-or-die affair. We are partners in the nation-building project. Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner,” Tinubu said.
Amupitan: Election should be a marketplace of ideas
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, used the occasion to reassure political parties of the commission’s neutrality ahead of the polls.
“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,” Amupitan said.
He urged political parties to make the campaign period a contest of policies rather than personalities.
“Let the 2027 election campaign be a marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” he said.
Amupitan said Nigerians wanted practical solutions to the problems confronting the country rather than insults and personal attacks.
“Nigerians do not want insults; they want solutions. They deserve to hear clear, concrete, and measurable manifestos,” he said.
The INEC chairman disclosed that preparations for the 2027 elections were progressing, with the commission planning to deploy about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
“I am pleased to report that our preparations for the 2027 elections are progressing with absolute precision. We are scaling our operational logistics to manage a massive nationwide ad hoc workforce of 1.4 million personnel across over 176,000 polling units,” Amupitan said.
INEC had earlier disclosed that the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
The commission’s plan to deploy more than 1.4 million ad hoc personnel is largely dependent on members of the National Youth Service Corps, who have served as a major component of election personnel since 1999.
Obi, Sowore differ on accord
Obi, who participated in the signing, called for an election in which votes would count and urged Nigerians to reject candidates who violated the accord.
“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 said.
He said the electorate should punish candidates who violated the agreement by voting them out.
“The punishment is that Nigerians should not vote for them,” Obi said.
Sowore, however, questioned the accord’s effectiveness, arguing that previous agreements had not stopped electoral violence.
“I don’t have faith in it. I’m bringing faith to the system. Those are two different things,” he said.
Sowore called for an enforceable “justice accord” that would impose consequences on political actors who breach their commitments.
The 2027 Peace Accord comes as political campaigns formally commence on Wednesday, August 19, with the election expected to be one of the most keenly contested since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
The National Peace Committee said it had facilitated 30 peace accords since 2015, comprising five national-level agreements and 25 sub-national accords, and had also established faith-based peace structures in 23 states.
The committee said the latest accord was designed to encourage political parties and candidates to compete on the basis of manifestos, policies and programmes, while rejecting violence, hate speech, personal attacks and misinformation.
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