Presidential candidates and national chairmen of political parties contesting the 2027 general elections have signed the first National Peace Accord in Abuja, pledging to promote peaceful, responsible and issue-based electioneering.
The accord was signed on Tuesday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre during a ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, in partnership with The Kukah Centre.
The agreement was signed a day before the official commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) scheduled to open the campaign period on Wednesday, August 19.
The accord seeks to promote issue-based campaigns, mutual respect, peaceful political participation and responsible conduct among political actors. It also commits the signatories to discouraging hate speech, misinformation, violence and inflammatory rhetoric throughout the electoral process.
Speaking at the ceremony, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, called on political parties and their supporters to prioritise peaceful and issue-based campaigns.
Obi urged political actors to conduct themselves responsibly, stressing that no Nigerian should lose his or her life because of an election.
However, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of political peace accords.
Sowore described such agreements as a “ritual,” citing alleged deaths recorded during the recent Osun State governorship election despite the existence of a similar peace agreement.
The National Peace Committee said the latest accord is designed to reinforce the commitment of political parties and candidates to peaceful campaigns while strengthening public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The committee urged all stakeholders to uphold the principles of the agreement as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
