President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi and other presidential and National Assembly candidates have signed the first National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The accord, signed in Abuja on Tuesday, commits political parties and candidates to issue-based campaigns while rejecting violence, hate speech, misinformation, personal attacks and other actions capable of undermining the electoral process.
The ceremony was organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre, a day before the official commencement of public campaigns and rallies.
Representatives of several political parties and candidates attended the event, including Tinubu, Peter Obi, Adewole Adebayo and Omoyele Sowore.
However, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde were among the major political figures absent from the ceremony.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, President Tinubu urged political actors to place national interest above personal and partisan ambitions.
He called on candidates to avoid using ethnic and religious sentiments to mobilise voters, urging them instead to campaign on policies, ideas and solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, described the accord as a commitment to responsible political conduct ahead of the elections.
Amupitan said the 2027 campaign should focus on issues such as the economy, security, infrastructure, healthcare, education and social inclusion.
He warned against hate speech, misinformation, premature victory claims and the spread of unverified information, particularly through social media and artificial intelligence.
The INEC chairman also assured political parties of a level playing field, stressing that the commission has no preferred candidate.
According to INEC’s timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC is preparing to deploy about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units for the elections.
