Tinubu, Obi, Sowore Sign 2027 Peace Accord as Campaigns Officially Begin

• Nigeria’s major political parties and candidates have signed a National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.

• President Bola Tinubu urged candidates to focus on policies while rejecting violence, hate speech and divisive rhetoric.

• INEC warned of rising misinformation and political polarisation as campaigns officially begin.

• Peter Obi backed the accord but questioned electoral credibility, while Omoyele Sowore called for enforceable sanctions against violators.

August 19, () — Nigeria’s political parties and presidential and National Assembly candidates have signed the first National Peace Accord for the 2027 general elections, committing themselves to issue-based campaigns and rejecting violence, hate speech, misinformation, personal attacks and other actions capable of undermining the electoral process.

The agreement was signed in Abuja on Tuesday, a day before the statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the elections, at a ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre.

The event brought together President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; presidential candidates including Peter Obi, Adewole Adebayo and Omoyele Sowore; political party leaders; the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan; Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, represented by a senior police officer; and members of the diplomatic community.

However, some prominent political figures were absent, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who is contesting on the platform of the Allied Peoples’ Movement.

The signing came as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with the economy, insecurity, unemployment, poverty, infrastructure, healthcare and the credibility of the electoral process expected to feature prominently in the campaigns.

Under INEC’s revised timetable, presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for 16 January 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections will take place on 6 February.

Tinubu calls for issue-based campaigns

Representing the President, Akume said the accord represented a commitment by political actors to place national interests above individual and partisan ambitions.

Tinubu urged candidates to avoid turning political competition into a struggle that threatens national cohesion, particularly through the exploitation of ethnic and religious sentiments.

“It is natural during campaigns to disagree as opponents and advocate competing governing missions for our country,” he said. “We may exchange occasional political jabs, but as members of the same household, the same national family, we must never resort to divisive and primordial sentiments of ethnicity or religion as tools for seeking power.”

The President also called on parties to compete through policies and programmes capable of addressing the country’s challenges.

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

Tinubu said his governing All Progressives Congress would reject violence, hate speech, misinformation, incitement and the misuse of digital platforms, including artificial intelligence, during the campaign.

He also pointed to technological changes in Nigeria’s electoral system, including the Permanent Voter Cards and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, as developments that he said had strengthened election management.

The President urged other parties and candidates to commit themselves to the same standards.

INEC warns against toxic campaigns

Amupitan described the accord as an attempt to establish clear ethical boundaries before political parties begin their nationwide campaigns.

“Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 19, 2026, marks the statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 general election,” he said.

“Before the first campaign flag is unfurled, before the first rally is staged, and before political rhetoric fills our public space, it is necessary that those who seek to lead this nation first gather to establish the ethical boundaries of their contest.”

The INEC chairman said intelligence gathered through the National Peace Committee’s Election Security Information Hub had indicated an “alarming resurgence” of hate speech, toxic polarisation, coordinated misinformation and personality-driven political discourse.

He urged candidates to make the economy, security, infrastructure, education, healthcare and social inclusion central to their campaigns rather than relying on personal attacks.

“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 also warned against the circulation of unverified information and premature declarations of electoral victory, particularly through social media.

The growing use of artificial intelligence, he said, presented additional challenges for election management because of the potential for disinformation and foreign information manipulation.

Amupitan said INEC was preparing to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units for the 2027 elections.

He said the commission was applying lessons from recent off-cycle elections, including governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory Area Council election.

While technological and administrative preparations were important, Amupitan said the conduct of political actors would ultimately determine the quality of the election.

“We provide the pitch and the refereeing, but the quality of the game depends on the players,” he said.

He also assured political parties that INEC had no preferred candidate and would provide a level playing field for all contestants.

Peace accord faces scepticism

While several political actors endorsed the agreement, the ceremony also exposed doubts about whether another peace pact can prevent violence during the electoral cycle.

Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, said politicians should not need an agreement to behave responsibly.

“We don’t even need to sign this. We’re seeking an office where we should be exemplary,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor nevertheless defended his decision to participate, saying he wanted to change the political system from within.

“Because I want to change the process, I have to go through it, so I have to believe in it,” he said.

Obi said the more important test would be whether candidates conducted themselves in a manner consistent with the responsibilities of the offices they sought.

“Whatever it is, whether we call it a justice accord or a peace accord, the personal conduct of the candidate must reflect the office he is seeking,” he said.

He also called for accountability following deaths associated with the recent Osun governorship election, arguing that no election should result in the loss of lives.

“Let us not forget those who died in ensuring that the election in Osun was achieved the way it went,” Obi said, urging political actors to condole with affected families.

The former governor said his biggest concern ahead of 2027 was the integrity of the vote.

“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.

Asked about sanctions for violations of the peace agreement, Obi said voters should ultimately punish offending politicians at the ballot box.

“The punishment is that Nigerians should not vote for them,” he said.

Sowore demands enforceable sanctions

Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate, was more critical of the agreement, questioning whether previous peace initiatives had prevented electoral violence.

“I don’t have faith in it. I’m bringing faith to the system. Those are two different things,” he said.

Sowore cited the recent Osun election as evidence, alleging that about 50 people died in connection with the poll. He questioned why an election associated with such deaths could be described as peaceful.

The AAC candidate also criticised INEC over the uploading of election results from the Osun election, alleging delays in completing the process.

He argued that signing another agreement without clear consequences for violations could reduce the initiative to a ceremonial exercise.

“The people who signed the peace accord in Osun State killed 50 people after they signed the peace accord,” Sowore alleged. “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?”

Sowore called instead for what he described as a “justice accord”, under which political actors who breach their commitments would face meaningful consequences.

His remarks underscored one of the central challenges facing the 2027 electoral process: whether voluntary commitments by political actors will be sufficient without credible enforcement mechanisms.

National Peace Committee cites declining political discourse

The National Peace Committee, represented by former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Martin Agwai, said it had facilitated 30 peace accords since 2015, comprising five national-level agreements and 25 subnational accords.

The committee said the latest agreement was developed in response to what it described as the declining quality of political discourse, particularly the increasing use of personal attacks and character assassination instead of policy debates.

It also said faith-based peace structures had been established in 23 states and that its Election Security Information Hub was monitoring electoral offences and security developments to provide early warnings to relevant stakeholders.

The committee urged candidates and party spokespersons to focus on manifestoes, policies and programmes while respecting voters, electoral institutions and the law.

Police promise neutrality

The police also pledged to maintain neutrality throughout the electoral process.

Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Deputy Inspector-General Umar Shehu said the police were not concerned with which candidate or party emerged victorious but with ensuring that eligible voters could participate without intimidation.

“The Nigeria Police is not interested in who wins or loses but is interested and committed to a peaceful election where Nigerians of eligible age will exercise their franchise without fear,” he said.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council similarly urged candidates, parties and campaign organisations to avoid fake news, personal attacks and inflammatory rhetoric.

With campaigns now officially beginning, the effectiveness of Tuesday’s commitments will depend less on the ceremony itself than on whether candidates, their supporters and political organisations adhere to them throughout the electoral cycle.

The 2027 contest is expected to be intensely competitive, placing renewed pressure on INEC, security agencies, political parties and candidates to protect the credibility of the vote while preventing political competition from escalating into violence.