‘National Peace Committee was my baby,’ Senator Ben Obi reveals origins of Abuja Peace Accord

By Luminous Jannamike ABUJA — Senator Ben Obi has recounted how he initiated the National Peace Committee and coordinated the Abuja Peace Accord that brought then-President Goodluck Jonathan and opposition presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari together ahead of the 2015 general election. Obi, who served as Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs, said the initiative grew out of his engagement with political parties and efforts to secure their commitment to peaceful elections. The Editor of Saturday Vanguard, Onochie Anibeze; Vanguard Regional Editor (North), Soni Daniel; and Political Correspondent, Luminous Jannamike, visited Obi at his Abuja residence to present him with a letter notifying him of his selection for the Vanguard’s Personality of the Year Award slated for January next year.

During the visit, Obi recounted how the National Peace Committee and the Abuja Peace Accord took shape. Vanguard is conferring on him the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his decades of public service and contributions to nation-building. How the committee took shape Obi said his position in Jonathan’s administration gave him the opportunity to engage political parties across the country and bring them into a common effort to promote peaceful electoral competition.

“At the time, I was the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs. Most of the political parties were, in one way or another, under my direct engagement, while others had their offices on the premises of my office. So, I knew all of them, and I got them involved,” Obi said.

He identified the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) as a key channel through which he secured the involvement of political parties in the initiative. Obi said he subsequently worked with Bishop Hassan Kukah to identify a chairman for the proposed National Peace Committee and enlisted influential Nigerians to support the effort. “I founded the National Peace Committee.

I was the first convener of the National Peace Committee. I brought in Uncle Sam, Dangote and the Sultan of Sokoto,” he said. He recalled that he and Kukah agreed on former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), as chairman before approaching John Cardinal Onaiyekan.

“I sat down with Bishop Hassan Kukah, and we agreed on General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) as the chairman. We then decided to go and visit John Ca…