Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu over his failure to personally attend the signing of the National Peace Accord for the 2027 elections. Adebayo, who spoke in an interview with Daily Post on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, described the President’s decision to send the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, as a clear indication that Tinubu is not committed to a peaceful electoral process.
Adebayo argued that the President, as the nation’s highest political authority and a direct beneficiary of Nigeria’s electoral process, had a duty to personally lead other political actors in demonstrating commitment to peace. He warned that Tinubu’s absence sends a troubling signal to political parties, candidates, security agencies and the electorate about the government’s true commitment to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections. “President Tinubu not showing up today is showing that he’s not committed to peace,” Adebayo declared. He added that the President’s absence could have implications far beyond the ceremony itself, particularly in how government officials and security personnel perceive the administration’s attitude towards electoral peace. “He’s sending a wrong signal to law enforcement, people who work for the government, that the president looks like he’s not committed enough,” he said.
The SDP candidate rejected suggestions that pressing state duties or national security concerns might have kept the President away, arguing that safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic continuity is itself one of the country’s most critical national security responsibilities. “There’s no more national security than the continuity of the state,” Adebayo declared. He maintained that credible elections are the bedrock of legitimate governance, stressing that Tinubu himself owes his office to that very process. “It is this process that made him president, process of election,” he said, arguing that the President, having ascended through the ballot, should be among the loudest voices defending its integrity.
Adebayo also questioned why the President failed to show up to an event reportedly scheduled around his own convenience. “Everything was made to accommodate the president, including timing and date, and he gave his word that he was going to be there,” Adebayo claimed. He insisted the peace accord was never meant to be a mere ceremonial gathering but a moment for political leaders to personally embody the principles they demand of their supporters. “It’s something that is personal to you because you are the one elected, you are the one who will commit,” he said. He framed the controversy as fundamentally a question of character rather than law, invoking the President’s constitutional duty to provide moral leadership. “It is a moral issue, not a legal issue,” Adebayo said.
The SDP candidate also rejected the representation of the President by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, describing it as inadequate. “Oh please, this is an insult to the process. The SGF is not involved in the election. You have your Vice President who could come,” Adebayo said. He called on Tinubu to personally address the fallout from his absence by explaining why he stayed away and publicly reaffirming his commitment to a peaceful electoral process. “He needs to correct that by making a clear statement, explaining why he’s absent and making sure that he makes a statement committing himself to peace,” he said.
In the interview, Adebayo also elaborated on what he signed in the peace accord, committing to issue-based campaigns, avoiding hate speech, fake news, violence, thuggery, vote buying and money politics. He emphasised that peace is impossible without justice, and that electoral justice will bring peace automatically when every player in the electoral process follows the law. He called for a truly independent INEC, where the government does not put its thumb on the scale, and where voters can vote freely without inducement or harassment. “Let the result be the mathematical and arithmetical exactitude of what the voters actually voted for,” Adebayo said.
The peace accord signing ceremony, held in Abuja on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, was organised by the National Peace Committee and attended by several presidential candidates, including Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore and Donald Duke. Adebayo recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari attended the signing of the accord four years ago, despite not being a candidate in the election at the time. “Four years ago he [Tinubu] was around, and President Buhari, who was not even contesting, was around. It is good for you as a leader that you believe in a peace process,” Adebayo said.
As the 2027 elections draw nearer, Adebayo’s criticism of Tinubu’s absence has intensified scrutiny of the President’s commitment to a peaceful electoral process. The SDP candidate has made it clear that the President’s failure to personally attend the peace accord signing is not just a ceremonial oversight but a serious political misstep that could have far-reaching consequences for Nigeria’s democracy.
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