The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has confirmed that its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, deliberately skipped the National Peace Accord signing ceremony as a protest against what the party describes as 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, not an oversight.
ADC Cites Osun Violence and Fadahunsi Remarks
Abdullahi argued that signing the accord has become little more than a ritual, with political violence continuing unabated despite repeated commitments across multiple election cycles. He pointed 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,” Abdullahi said during an interview on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily on Friday, August 21, 2026, as reported by Vanguard.
ADC Demands Accountability from Peace Committee
Abdullahi 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,'” he added.
The ADC spokesman was clear that the party'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 said, adding that the committee must be willing to hold any political actor accountable regardless of their status or party affiliation.
Context: Peace Accord Signing and 2027 Election
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 Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, pledged to reject violence, hate speech, and AI-driven misinformation during the 2027 campaign. The 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.
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.
