Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has revealed that President Bola Tinubu did not sign a peace accord during his 2023 presidential campaign. Kukah, a key figure in the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, shared this information at the Edo Election Security Townhall in Benin City on Sunday.
He emphasized that while the peace accord has become a tradition in recent elections, the committee cannot compel any candidate to sign it. He expressed concern that political parties and their candidates not signing the accord could send a negative message to Nigerians, which could be used by the opposition.
Kukah explained, “The National Peace Committee’s work is based on moral grounds, not the law. You can’t force someone to embrace love or harmony with their neighbors.”
He also recalled a similar situation in the 2019 election, where PDP’s candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, initially missed the signing but later participated.
Kukah noted that while Tinubu’s non-signing could have been leveraged by the opposition, it wasn’t. He added, “Although not signing the Peace Accord sends the wrong message, we cannot take anyone to court over it. The opposition can easily exploit such actions.”
