Peace Accord, which was signed on Thursday by several presidential candidates for next year’s election in Abuja, suggests that Nigeria is at war, according to the candidate of the African Action Congress, Mr Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore was among the candidates of 18 political parties who attended the event and subscribed to the accord, while that of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was absent. He is reportedly out of the country and was represented by his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
Other major candidates – Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party – were in attendance.
Sowore, who featured on the Arise TV’s Morning Show shortly before the event, explained that he was not against the peace accord, adding that he would sign it to show the people that he subscribed to peace.
After a meeting with the National Peace Committee in Minna, Niger State last week, its Chairman, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd.) said that politicians contesting the 2023 general election had to sign a peace pact.
The former Head of State said that during electioneering campaigns, politicians and their supporters create incitements which could endanger the country’s peace.
“The pattern of public communication among political actors, their publicity agents, spokespersons, and media consultants has amplified the potential for personal attacks, insults, and incitement”, he said.
Attacks by politicians and their supporters on their opponents, he further said, “have relegated to the background the civility and decency in public discourse and debate. These have shifted focus away from issue-based campaigns, to consolidating identity politics and the politics of thuggery”.
Responding to questions on the TV programme, Sowore said, “I don’t know why we’re signing this Peace Accord when we are not at war. This signifies that Nigeria is at war. Elections are a war in this country.
“For the sake of symbolism of this, I will show up there, and sign whatever they want so that the people can understand that I subscribe to peace during the election and after the election.”
