ADC Reveals Why Atiku Stayed Away From Peace Accord Signing

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has explained why its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, stayed away from the signing of the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party said Atiku’s absence was deliberate and was meant to send a strong message to the National Peace Committee over what it considers the failure of the peace process to adequately address electoral violence.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

According to Abdullahi, the party does not believe that repeatedly gathering political candidates to sign peace agreements is enough to guarantee peaceful elections.

He said similar agreements had been signed during previous election cycles, yet political violence, intimidation and attacks continued.

“We’ve been signing this thing year in, year out; every election cycle, we sign in support of this commitment. Things still happen; people still get killed, harassed, like in the case of Osun, but we don’t hear the Peace Committee say anything,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC spokesman said the party wanted the National Peace Committee to move beyond the signing ceremony and take a more active role whenever political actors make statements or engage in activities capable of triggering violence.

He argued that political leaders should not be allowed to sign peace agreements and later disregard the commitments without consequences.

The National Peace Accord was signed in Abuja on Tuesday by several presidential candidates, political parties and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.

The exercise was organised under the National Peace Committee in partnership with The Kukah Centre.

The agreement focuses on peaceful campaigns, issue-based politics and the rejection of violence, hate speech, misinformation and personal attacks.

Atiku was among the major presidential candidates who did not attend the ceremony in person.

President Bola Tinubu was also absent physically and was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

Other candidates, including Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, attended and signed the agreement.

The ADC later clarified that it was represented at the ceremony by its National Legal Adviser, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor.

The party said his presence showed that it was not rejecting the idea of peaceful elections but had concerns about the way the peace process was being implemented.

Abdullahi said the party’s decision should therefore be understood as a protest rather than a rejection of peace.

He pointed to the political tensions that surrounded the Osun governorship election as one of the reasons for the ADC’s position.

The spokesman alleged that certain comments made during the election period were capable of encouraging violence but did not attract the kind of public response he expected from the National Peace Committee.

He specifically referred to a statement attributed to Senator Francis Fadahunsi.

“When Senator Fadahunsi said that they should go out and kill people, we didn’t hear the Peace Committee say anything. So, what is the point? So, it’s our (ADC) way of saying no,” he said.

Abdullahi maintained that the committee should not remain silent when political figures make statements that could heighten tension.

He said the same standard should apply to everyone, including the President.

According to him, the Peace Committee should be prepared to caution political leaders publicly when their words could contribute to violence during an election.

The ADC spokesman also referred to a statement attributed to President Bola Tinubu during the Osun election period.

“When the President said all is fair in politics, he set the narrative for the violence that followed in the Osun election. We didn’t hear the Peace Committee say, ‘No, Mr President, that is not a good thing to say,’” Abdullahi said.

He argued that the credibility of the peace process depends largely on what happens after candidates sign the document.

For the ADC, signing the accord should come with responsibility and consequences for anyone who violates its provisions.

“If we want to be part of this, if you want to be taking us seriously, then you need to up your game,” Abdullahi said.

The first phase of the National Peace Accord was signed a day before the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections.

The agreement is intended to encourage candidates and their supporters to avoid violence and focus their campaigns on policies and issues affecting Nigerians.

However, the absence of some major political figures has already generated debate over the effectiveness of the accord.

Before the ceremony, several opposition figures questioned whether the agreement would have any meaningful impact if political actors were not held accountable for violations.

It was reported that some opposition candidates raised concerns about whether the accord would go beyond a ceremonial commitment, while Peter Obi urged Nigerians not to support candidates who violate the agreement.

Abdullahi said the ADC’s demand was straightforward.

He wants the National Peace Committee to monitor political conduct more closely and speak out when its commitments are breached.

“We are saying you need to do more. It’s not just to gather us for the ceremony of signing. If we commit to something, you have to be able to ask people to abide by it,” he said.