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The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has taken President Bola Tinubu to task over his failure to personally attend the signing of an electoral peace accord, warning that the absence sends a troubling signal about the government’s true commitment to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.
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, especially as the 2027 general elections draw nearer.
Speaking shortly after the signing ceremony, he insisted that Tinubu’s presence would have sent a powerful message to political parties, candidates, security agencies and the electorate that the Federal Government was serious about preventing violence and protecting the integrity of the polls.
“President Tinubu not showing up today shows that he’s not committed to peace,” Adebayo declared.
He warned that the President’s absence carries implications far beyond the ceremony itself, particularly on how government officials and security personnel read the administration’s true posture towards electoral peace.
“He’s sending a wrong signal to the law enforcement agents, people who work for the government, that the president looks like he’s not committed enough,” he said.
He called on President 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.
He rejected suggestions that pressing state duties or national security concerns might have kept the President away, arguing that safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic continuity is among 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.
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“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 said Tinubu’s physical presence at the peace accord would have offered crucial reassurance to political parties, candidates and security agencies as the country braces for 2027.
“It is good for you as a leader to signal that we believe in a society, we believe in peace as a process,” he said.
He went further, questioning 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.
According to him, this stands in stark contrast to Tinubu’s own inauguration pledge on May 29, 2023, when he promised to uphold and defend the Nigerian constitution.
