Political parties and presidential candidates have signed a national peace agreement ahead of the 2027 general elections, pledging to avoid violence, hate speech, misinformation and personal attacks during the campaign.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday in Abuja at an event organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre. The signing took place a day before the official start of campaigns for the elections.
President Bola Tinubu was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, while other presidential candidates, party leaders, electoral officials and security representatives attended the ceremony.
Among those who signed the agreement were the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, Social Democratic Party candidate Adewole Adebayo and African Action Congress candidate Omoyele Sowore.
Other political figures at the event included APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and leaders of several political parties.
However, some major opposition figures, including African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, were not present at the ceremony.
The peace accord was signed as political activities gather pace ahead of the 2027 elections, with campaigns expected to focus on issues such as insecurity, unemployment, poverty, the economy, healthcare, education and infrastructure.
According to the electoral timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections will take place on February 6, 2027.
Speaking through Akume, President Tinubu urged politicians to put the interests of Nigeria ahead of their personal and party ambitions. He called on candidates to avoid using ethnic and religious divisions to gain political support.
Tinubu also urged political parties to focus their campaigns on policies, ideas and practical solutions to the problems facing Nigerians.
The President said the All Progressives Congress would support the provisions of the peace agreement and reject violence, hate speech, misinformation, incitement and the misuse of digital platforms during the election period.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan, said the agreement was designed to set standards for political conduct before campaigns officially began.
Amupitan urged candidates to use the campaign period to discuss national problems instead of engaging in personal attacks and inflammatory statements.
He warned that hate speech, misinformation, political tension and the misuse of artificial intelligence could create fresh challenges for the 2027 election.
The INEC chairman also appealed to political parties and their supporters to avoid announcing unofficial results or spreading unverified information through social media.
He assured political parties that the electoral commission would remain neutral and provide a level playing field for all contestants.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC plans to deploy about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel to more than 176,000 polling units across the country during the 2027 elections.
He said the commission was also using lessons from recent off-cycle elections to improve its preparations for the national polls.
Former Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee, Abdulsalami Abubakar, was represented at the event by former Chief of Defence Staff, Martin Agwai.
The committee said it had facilitated several peace agreements since 2015 and had also created structures in various states to support peaceful elections.
Peter Obi, who also signed the accord, said politicians seeking public office should conduct themselves responsibly without waiting for a peace agreement to remind them of their duties.
He called on candidates to ensure that their personal conduct matched the responsibilities attached to the offices they were seeking.
Obi also urged political parties to make the 2027 campaigns about the problems affecting Nigerians and called for elections where citizens’ votes would be properly counted.
He said voters should decide the political fate of candidates who violate the terms of the agreement.
However, Sowore questioned the effectiveness of the peace accord, saying similar agreements had been signed in the past without completely stopping election-related violence.
The AAC candidate also raised concerns about the violence reported during the recent Osun governorship election and called for stronger measures against politicians who breach electoral peace agreements.
Sowore argued that future peace agreements should include clear penalties so that politicians and their supporters would face consequences for violating them.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force pledged to provide security for voters, candidates and other participants during the 2027 electoral process.
The police said their responsibility was not to determine which candidate would win but to ensure that eligible Nigerians could vote without fear or intimidation.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council also urged political parties, candidates and campaign teams to respect the peace agreement and avoid fake news, insults, personal attacks and inflammatory statements.
The 2027 campaign season officially begins on Wednesday, with political parties expected to commence rallies and other public campaign activities across the country.