Presidential candidates pledge peaceful campaigns as INEC, National Peace Committee demand credible, issue-based 2027 polls.
President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), African Action Congress (AAC) candidate Omoyele Sowore and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate are among political leaders who have signed the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The accord was signed on Tuesday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja in an event organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC).
The gathering was attended by representatives of presidential, governorship and National Assembly candidates, INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, political party leaders and other stakeholders.
The first phase of the peace accord signing was held ahead of the January and February 2027 elections, while the second phase is expected to take place after the polls.
Speaking ahead of the signing, Obi called for credible and violence-free elections, urging Nigerians not to vote for candidates who violate the terms of the agreement.
Tinubu, represented by SGF George Akume, commended the National Peace Committee for sustaining the initiative and pledged the APC’s commitment to peaceful elections.
He said technological improvements, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), had strengthened electoral transparency, citing recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti states.
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan also assured Nigerians that the commission would remain neutral and would not favour any candidate or political party.
He urged politicians to make the 2027 campaign a “marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war,” stressing the need for candidates to present clear and measurable solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC was scaling up its logistics to manage about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, a member of the National Peace Committee, urged politicians to ensure that Nigerians see measurable improvements in their lives, while encouraging citizens to take greater responsibility for the electoral process.
The National Peace Accord was first signed ahead of the 2015 general elections and commits political parties and candidates to peaceful conduct and issue-based campaigns before, during and after elections.