African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has questioned the effectiveness of the National Peace Accord ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing the initiative as a ritual that has failed to prevent electoral violence.
Sowore spoke on Tuesday in Abuja on the sidelines of the National Peace Accord signing ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The accord is designed to commit political parties and candidates to peaceful campaigns and elections ahead of the 2027 polls.
Sowore, however, said his participation did not mean he had confidence in the process.
“I don’t have faith in it. I’m bringing faith to the system. Those are two different things,” he said.
The AAC candidate cited the recent Osun State governorship election, alleging that about 50 people died despite the existence of a peace agreement ahead of the poll.
He questioned why an election associated with such deaths would be described as peaceful.
“How can you say, in good conscience, that an election that led to the death of 50 citizens of any country is a peaceful election?” Sowore asked.
He also criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission over the uploading of election results from the Osun poll, arguing that the process should be completed before results are announced.
“As we speak, INEC is yet to complete the upload of all the election results three days after,” he said.
Sowore added, “If we are going to have free and fair elections, you can’t have it halfway. You have to upload all the polling units into your portal timeously. It must be completed before you announce election results.”
The presidential candidate further argued that signing peace agreements would have little impact without consequences for those who violate them.
“The people who signed the peace accord in Osun State killed 50 people after they signed the peace accord,” he alleged.
He proposed the introduction of a Justice Accord to complement the Peace Accord and ensure that political actors who breach its terms face legal consequences.
“Maybe what the peace accord needs is also to have a justice accord that will fall if anybody then goes against the peace,” Sowore said.
He described the peace accord as largely ceremonial, saying political actors often return to campaigns after signing it.
“It has become a ritual of sorts. We’re going to finish signing the peace accord, and you will hear about violence propelled by the major parties who are here. You don’t need to be deceived,” he said.
Sowore also criticised Osun State Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, over his reported endorsement of President Bola Tinubu following his victory in the governorship election.
He argued that Adeleke should not justify the endorsement on ethnic grounds because the electorate in the state comprises people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“If you want to endorse Tinubu, it’s your right. But the claim that you’re endorsing him because he’s a Yoruba man—you are a state governor, for God’s sake,” Sowore said.
He nevertheless commended Osun voters for turning out for the election despite what he described as violence, saying the reported turnout demonstrated civic consciousness.
On his 2027 presidential ambition, Sowore urged Nigerians to support him, citing his party’s policies and what he described as the courage to transform the country.
“We are revolutionaries, and these are times that Nigerians need revolutionaries as opposed to people who are more of the same,” he said.
The National Peace Committee was established in 2014 ahead of the 2015 general elections to promote peaceful and credible elections through peace accords and mediation of politically driven conflicts.
Tuesday’s event marked the first national signing of the Peace Accord by political parties and candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
