‘Tinubu Missing In Action’- Adebayo Blasts President Over 2027 Peace Accord Absence

‘Tinubu Missing In Action’- Adebayo Blasts President Over 2027 Peace Accord Absence

SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo says President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the National Peace Accord signing sends a troubling signal about his commitment to peaceful elections.

Adebayo questions why the SGF, George Akume, represented Tinubu, arguing that the Vice President or the President himself should have attended the politically sensitive ceremony.

Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Donald Duke and other political actors sign the accord, while INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan warns that the 2027 election must be a “marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war.”

The National Peace Committee’s accord commits parties and candidates to peaceful conduct and issue-based campaigns as formal electioneering begins.

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu over his failure to personally attend the signing of the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He described the President as “missing in action” and warning that his absence could undermine confidence in the country’s electoral peace process.

Adebayo said Tinubu’s decision not to appear at Tuesday’s ceremony in Abuja sent “the wrong signal” to security agencies, government officials and political actors at a time when the country is entering another highly competitive election cycle.

The SDP candidate spoke with MEDIA TODAY after presidential candidates and political parties gathered to endorse the peace agreement, which commits participants to peaceful conduct, issue-based campaigns and restraint before, during and after the elections.

“President Tinubu 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.

He challenged the President to publicly explain his absence and make a fresh commitment to the peace process, arguing that the symbolism of a sitting President participating personally in such an accord was too important to be delegated.

“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,” he said.

Adebayo was particularly critical of the decision to send the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to represent the President at the ceremony.

He questioned the appropriateness of the SGF standing in for the President at an event specifically designed to secure commitments from political contestants and stakeholders to peaceful elections.

“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 see that President Tinubu has been missing in action,” Adebayo said.

According to him, presidential participation in the peace process should not be viewed as a matter of protocol or ceremonial grandeur but as a demonstration that the President attaches importance to democracy, political stability and the peaceful transfer of power.

“There is no issue of state grandeur than the President showing that democracy is important. There is no more national security than the continuity of the state,” he said.

Adebayo also recalled the participation of former President Muhammadu Buhari in the peace process ahead of the previous general election, stressing that Buhari’s presence was significant even though he was not contesting the election at the time.

“Four years ago he [Tinubu] was around, and President Buhari, who was not even contesting, was around. It is good for you as a leader that you believe in a peace process,” he said.

Presidential candidate Peter Obi and other political stakeholders at the signing of the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections in Abuja.

Peace Accord Signed As Campaigns Begin

Peace Accord

The controversy came as political parties and presidential candidates signed the first National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 elections in Abuja.

The National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, organised the ceremony as political parties formally entered the electioneering season. Reports from the event said Tinubu was represented by Akume.

The accord seeks to bind political actors to peaceful and issue-based campaigns while discouraging violence, hate speech, misinformation, personal attacks and other actions capable of undermining the electoral process.

Among those present were presidential candidates and senior representatives of several political parties, including Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore and Donald Duke.

Obi used the occasion to call on Nigerians to reject politicians who promote violence, stressing that no electoral contest should be allowed to cost Nigerians their lives.

The signing also came on the eve of the commencement of formal campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections, giving the accord added political significance.

However, the absence of some major political figures also generated discussion about the extent to which the agreement can translate from a ceremonial commitment into actual behaviour during the campaign and voting periods.

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Amupitan: ‘Marketplace Of Ideas, Not Theatre Of War’

INEC warns against toxic campaigns

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, used the ceremony to urge political parties and candidates to make the 2027 election a contest of policies, programmes and ideas rather than personal attacks and violence.

“The election should be a marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chairman reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality and urged political actors to respect the electoral process.

He also outlined the scale of preparations for the election, including plans for the deployment of about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units.

INEC has repeatedly emphasised the importance of public confidence, peaceful participation and institutional credibility as preparations for the 2027 election intensify.

The commission has also been working with the National Peace Committee and other stakeholders to strengthen confidence in the electoral process.

The National Peace Committee has described the Peace Accord as part of its broader conflict-prevention and confidence-building efforts. Its work includes dialogue, mediation and election-security monitoring aimed at identifying and addressing potential threats before they escalate.