The presidency has dismissed a claim made by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, that President Bola Tinubu did not sign the peace accord during the 2023 presidential election.
Bishop Kukah, speaking at a security town hall meeting in Benin on Sunday ahead of the Edo gubernatorial election, alleged that Tinubu had bypassed the peace agreement which commits candidates to a violent-free election.
“What is also very interesting is that the current president, when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign. It wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it,” Bishop Kukah said, sparking public debate.
However, in a statement late on Tuesday, September 17, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, refuted Kukah’s claim. Onanuga clarified that President Tinubu had indeed signed both peace accords ahead of the election.
“Contrary to the claims by Bishop Kukah, President Tinubu signed the two peace accords preceding his election in 2023. The first accord, committing the candidates to a free and credible election, was signed on September 29, 2022, and was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima,” Onanuga stated.
“The second agreement, signed on February 23, 2023, was for the candidates to accept the election outcome. Tinubu signed this personally,” he added.