‘Signing peace pact no longer enough’ — ADC fires warning after Atiku skips accord

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has defended Atiku Abubakar’s decision to stay away from the National Peace Accord, insisting that merely signing agreements ahead of elections is no longer enough to guarantee peaceful polls.

The party said its decision was a deliberate message to the National Peace Committee that political leaders must move beyond ceremonial commitments and address the issues fueling electoral violence.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, arguing that previous peace accords had failed to prevent violence during elections.

According to him, politicians have repeatedly signed similar agreements before election cycles, yet cases of intimidation, harassment and violence have 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,” Abdullahi said.

He specifically questioned the response of the Peace Committee to alleged incidents during the Osun governorship election, arguing that the body must do more than bring political actors together for agreement signing.

The ADC spokesman said the party’s position was not a rejection of peace but a demand for stronger accountability from those who violate electoral commitments.

“It’s our way of saying no,” he said, adding that political actors must be held responsible for statements and actions capable of encouraging violence.

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

While candidates including Peter Obi attended the ceremony, President Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar were not physically present. Tinubu was represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

The accord is designed to promote peaceful campaigns and issue-based politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.