Tinubu Didn’t Sign Peace Accord In 2023 – Kukah

The National Peace Committee co-convener and bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu did not sign the peace agreement before to the 2023 elections.

His remarks are made in the midst of the ongoing dispute over the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) reluctance to sign a comparable peace accord in front of the September 21 governor’s race in Edo State.

The PDP refused to participate in the pre-election peace ceremony last week, citing complaints against the police as their justification. The goal of the peace accord is to encourage voting without using force.

Bishop Kukah stated that while the National Peace Committee, headed by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, cannot force any candidate to sign the peace pact, refusing to do so sends a troubling message. He made these remarks during a town hall event sponsored by Channels Television.

He said; “What the committee is not in the Electoral Act, it’s not law; it’s moral. You can’t compel people to fall in love or love their neighbour.

“If you go back to the 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the PDP, was not there to sign the Peace Accord. And of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign.

“What is also very interesting is that the current president (Tinubu), when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign; it wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it.

“It’s a pity but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the Peace Accord. The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal which can be very easily exploited by the opposition.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli