Adebayo Faults Tinubu For Missing 2027 National Peace Accord Signing

Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his absence from the signing of the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Adebayo said Tinubu’s failure to attend the ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday could send a negative message to political actors, security agencies and government officials about the administration’s commitment to a peaceful electoral process.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Adebayo said the President needed to publicly clarify his absence and reaffirm his commitment to the peace process.

“President Tinubu not showing up today, he is showing that he is not committed to peace. He is sending a wrong signal to law enforcement, for the people who work for the government, that the President looks like he is not committed enough,” he said.

The SDP candidate urged Tinubu to explain why he did not attend the event and make a public commitment to ensuring a peaceful election.

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“So, he needs to correct that by making a clear statement explaining why he is absent and making sure that he makes a statement committing himself to the peace process,” Adebayo said.

He argued that demonstrating commitment to democracy should take precedence over other considerations, stressing that credible elections were essential to the survival of the state.

“There is no issue of state grandeur than the President showing that democracy is important. There is no more national security than the continuity of the state. The state has to exist and a free, fair and credible election is important for establishing civil government,” he added.

Adebayo also recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari attended the peace accord signing four years ago despite not contesting the election at the time.

“Four years ago he [Tinubu] was around, and President Buhari, who was not even contesting, was around. It is good for you as a leader that you believe in a peace process,” he said.

Reacting to Tinubu’s representation at Tuesday’s ceremony by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, Adebayo described the arrangement as inadequate.

“Oh please, this is an insult to the process. The SGF is not involved in the election. You have your Vice President who could come,” he said.

“I don’t see any reason why President Tinubu, who works and lives in Abuja and who has the influence on influencing the date when the thing will be signed and who has given assurance that he will come, I see that President Tinubu has been missing in action,” Adebayo added.

The presidential candidates and representatives of political parties who attended the ceremony signed the National Peace Accord organised by the National Peace Committee.

The agreement commits political actors to peaceful conduct and issue-based campaigns before, during and after the 2027 elections.

Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Donald Duke and other presidential candidates participated in the ceremony, alongside INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan and other stakeholders.

Obi called for credible and violence-free elections and urged Nigerians to reject candidates who violate the agreement.

Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s neutrality and called on political parties to focus on policies rather than personal attacks, saying the election should be a “marketplace of ideas, not a theatre of war.”

He also said preparations were advancing for the deployment of about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units.

Bishop Matthew Kukah, meanwhile, urged political leaders to ensure that elections produce measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians while calling for greater citizen participation.