The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has clarified its participation in the 2027 National Peace Accord following the absence of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from the signing ceremony in Abuja.
The opposition party said its National Legal Adviser, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, represented it at the event.
“Yesterday, our National Legal Adviser, H.E. Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, represented our great party, ADC, at the signing of the National Peace Accord in Abuja,” the party said in a social media post.
Atiku was among the presidential candidates expected at the ceremony but did not attend physically.
The peace accord was signed ahead of the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
President Bola Tinubu was also represented at the ceremony by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
In his message, Tinubu urged candidates and political parties to place Nigeria above personal ambition and conduct their campaigns around ideas and policies.
“Elections are not a do-or-die affair. We are partners in the project of nation-building. Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner,” the President said.
The accord, organised by the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar in collaboration with The Kukah Centre, commits candidates and political parties to peaceful and issue-based campaigns.
It also seeks to curb violence, hate speech, misinformation and the misuse of artificial intelligence during the election season.
Other presidential candidates represented at the ceremony included Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC; Adewale Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party, SDP; Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP; Chibuzor Okereke of the Labour Party and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, AAC.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, urged political actors to treat the accord as more than a ceremonial document.
“Electoral contests in a constitutional democracy are not total wars; they are competitive job interviews before the electorate. Nigerians do not want insults; they want solutions,” he said.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Assembly elections will hold on February 6.
