Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto said President Bola Tinubu did not sign the peace accord during his 2023 presidential campaign.
Kukah, who is the chairman of the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, spoke at the Edo Election Security Townhall in Benin City on Sunday.
Kukah said while signing the peace accord has become a tradition in the last decade, the committee can’t force any candidate to sign.
He said a candidate’s refusal to sign can send negative signals to the public which the opposition can use to their advantage.
“The National Peace Committee’s work is not part of the Electoral Act or any legal framework,” he said. “It’s more of a moral obligation. You can’t force someone to love their neighbour or sign the accord.”
The renowned bishop recalled the 2019 election when PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar didn’t sign initially and the opposition reacted quickly before he signed.
He said Tinubu as a presidential candidate then also didn’t sign but the opposition didn’t capitalise on it.
He said while the accord is important, candidates are not obliged to sign but a refusal to sign can send wrong signals.
Kukah’s statement is coming as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the Edo gubernatorial election refuses to sign the peace accord.
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