African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has questioned the seriousness of the National Peace Accord signed by political parties and presidential candidates ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Sowore criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for not personally attending Tuesday’s signing ceremony in Abuja, arguing that his absence sent the wrong signal about the government’s commitment to preventing electoral violence.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Mr Sowore said the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, should have been present at the ceremony.
He argued that the president occupies a central position in Nigeria’s security architecture and therefore has a particular responsibility to demonstrate commitment to peaceful elections.
“I told them (opposition) that whatever they signed there was null and void because they are not parties to the election,” Mr Sowore said.
He added that the President was, in his view, “the number one controller of violence” because of his constitutional position as Commander-in-Chief.
“So, if he is not there, it shows that this is not a serious affair,” he said.
The National Peace Accord was signed in Abuja on Tuesday by presidential candidates, political party leaders and other stakeholders ahead of the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 elections.
The agreement commits political actors to peaceful and issue-based campaigns while rejecting violence, hate speech, misinformation and other conduct capable of undermining the electoral process.
President Tinubu, although absent from the ceremony, delivered remarks for the occasion in which he said elections should not be treated as a “do-or-die affair” and pledged his commitment to peaceful political competition.
Mr Sowore, however, remains sceptical that another peace agreement will be sufficient to prevent violence during the election period, particularly given what he described as failures of previous accords.
The 2027 general election campaign officially begins on Wednesday, with political parties and candidates expected to take their messages to voters across the country.
The National Peace Committee has urged political actors to prioritise national interest and ensure that political competition does not degenerate into violence or threats to Nigeria’s democratic process.
