The Presidency has debunked a claim by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, that President Bola Tinubu did not sign the peace accord in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.
Kukah had, during the security town hall meeting in Benin, the Edo State capital, on Sunday, September 15, 2024, said Tinubu failed to sign the peace accord for the 2023 election.
The cleric said this after the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to sign the peace accord for the September 21 governorship election in the state.
“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,” Kukah said.
17 out of 18 political parties contesting the Edo State gubernatorial election signed the peace accord in Benin on Thursday, September 12.
The Edo PDP Chairman, Anthony Aziegbemi, and the party’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who were present during the signing of the peace accord, declined to sign.
Speaking on the development, Aziegbemi told newsmen that they declined to sign because 10 members of the PDP are currently detained by the police in Abuja.
Edo PDP: Why we refused to sign peace accord for guber poll
However, the Presidency, in reaction to Kukah’s claim, said Tinubu did not snub the signing that commits political parties and their candidates to a violent-free election in Nigeria.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who made this known via a statement shared on X on Tuesday, September 17, said: “Bishop Kukah is not correct; Tinubu signed peace accords in 2023.
“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 in the country, was signed on September 29, 2022. Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Tinubu.
“The second agreement, signed on February 23, 2023, was for the candidates to accept the election outcome. Tinubu signed.”
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