The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has clarified that it was represented at the signing of the 2027 National Peace Accord in Abuja despite the absence of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The party said its National Legal Adviser, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, attended the ceremony on its behalf and signed the agreement as the party’s representative.
In a statement shared on its social media platforms, the ADC said, “Yesterday, our National Legal Adviser, H.E. Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, represented our great party, ADC, at the signing of the National Peace Accord in Abuja.”
Atiku, a former Vice President and the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election, was among the candidates expected at the event but did not attend physically.
The peace accord was signed in Abuja on Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu and representatives of 16 other presidential candidates ahead of the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
The event was organised by the National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, in partnership with The Kukah Centre.
The agreement commits political parties and their candidates to peaceful and issue-based campaigns while discouraging violence, hate speech, misinformation and the use of artificial intelligence to spread disinformation.
President Tinubu was also absent from the ceremony and was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, who delivered his message to the candidates and political parties.
Tinubu urged political actors to focus on policies and ideas rather than personal attacks, stressing that the ultimate goal should be the progress of Nigeria.
He also warned against exploiting ethnic and religious sentiments for political gain, saying the 2027 election should not be treated as a do-or-die contest.
“Elections are not a do-or-die affair. We are partners in the project of nation-building. Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner,” the President said.
The National Peace Committee has facilitated similar agreements since 2015 in an effort to reduce electoral violence and encourage candidates to conduct issue-based campaigns.
Several presidential candidates and political leaders attended Tuesday’s ceremony, including Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Adewale Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Chibuzor Okereke of the Labour Party (LP) and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).
Also present were APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and PRP National Chairman Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, urged political actors to treat the accord as a binding guide for their conduct throughout the electoral process.
Amupitan warned against hate speech, misinformation, premature victory claims and the misuse of social media, while raising concerns over the potential use of artificial intelligence to spread false information.
He disclosed that INEC was preparing to deploy about 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units for the 2027 elections.
Obi questioned the need for politicians to sign a formal agreement before committing to peaceful elections and urged Nigerians to reject candidates who violate the accord.
Sowore, on his part, argued that peace could not be sustained without justice and accountability, calling for a “Justice Accord” to complement the peace agreement.
The Nigeria Police also assured Nigerians of adequate security during the elections, with Deputy Inspector-General Umar Shehu representing the force at the ceremony.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
