2027: Why Atiku Did Not Attend Peace Accord Signing, ADC Explains
- The African Democratic Congress (ADC) said its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, deliberately skipped the National Peace Accord signing ceremony
- ADC's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, cited the Osun governorship election violence as a key reason for the party's boycott
- Abdullahi accused the National Peace Committee of failing to hold political actors accountable for inflammatory statements, including those by President Tinubu
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has revealed that its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, deliberately skipped the signing of the National Peace Accord as a form of protest against what the party considers a weak and ineffective peace process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the boycott was a calculated decision rather than an oversight.
Source: Twitter
Abdullahi argued that signing the accord had become little more than a ritual, with political violence continuing unabated despite repeated commitments across multiple election cycles.
As reported by Vanguard, he made this known on Friday, August 21, 2026, during an interview on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily.
"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."
ADC cites Osun violence, Fadahunsi remarks
The ADC spokesman pointed specifically to events surrounding the recent Osun State governorship election, alleging that the National Peace Committee stayed silent when Senator Francis Fadahunsi made comments the party believes could incite violence.
"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 also turned attention to President Bola Tinubu, arguing that the committee failed to caution the President over a remark he attributed to him 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."
ADC demands accountability from peace committee
Abdullahi was clear that the ADC's position was not a rejection of peaceful elections as a goal, but a demand for the committee to go beyond the ceremonial aspects of the accord and enforce the commitments that candidates make.
"If we want to be part of this, if you want to be taking us seriously, then you need to up your game,"
He added that the committee must be willing to hold any political actor accountable regardless of their status or party affiliation.
"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."
Peter Obi, who resigned from the ADC on May 2, 2026, was ratified as the presidential candidate of the NDC on May 29, 2026. Atiku Abubakar remains the ADC's flagbearer for the 2027 elections.
Atiku, Makinde absent as candidates sign Peace Pact
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that political parties and presidential candidates signed the First National Peace Accord in Abuja on August 18, 2026, a day before campaigns officially began
President Tinubu, represented by SGF George Akume, pledged to reject violence, hate speech, and AI-driven misinformation during the 2027 campaign.
INEC chairman warned of an alarming resurgence of hate speech and toxic polarisation as Nigeria heads into what could be its most contested election since 1999.
Source: Legit.ng
