From David Onuoja, Abuja
As people of Ondo State awaits the Governorship Election next Saturday, 18 Political Parties has Signed Peace Accord.
Signing the peace Accord in Akure, the Ondo state capital, the Chairman of the peace Accord, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, admonished parties to hold unto the agreement and follow the democratic norms before, during and after the election.
He equally advised them to desist and reject any form of vote buying, even as he emphasised the importance of maintaining the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the country.
Related News
On his part, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, urged all the concerned parties to abide by the agreement.
According to him, “your signing Peace Accord document alone will not guarantee a peaceful election as it is not automated and self-activating; your commitment to its implementation is key.
“Therefore, as you sign the Peace Accord today, you should also pass the message to your supporters at all levels for compliance. That is how a peaceful election can be achieved.
“I am confident that with the signing of the Peace Accord today, the proactive measures taken by the security agencies, the roles played by our respected traditional rulers, the community and religious leaders, civil society organisations, the mass media and all other stakeholders, the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election will, by the grace of God, be peaceful.
“I want to appreciate the Chairman and members of the National Peace Committee (NPC), for their tireless efforts in bringing parties and candidates together for peaceful elections in Nigeria.
“Encouraged by the success of the Peace Accord at the national level, the NPC accepted our request to devolve the signing of the Accord beyond the Presidential Election to include off-cycle Governorship Elections in view of the tension and violence before, during and after previous elections.
“The first Peace Accord outside Abuja was signed in Edo State ahead of the Governorship election held in September 2020. Since then, similar Peace Accords were signed in seven more States, namely Ondo in 2020, Anambra in 2021, Ekiti and Osun in 2022, followed by Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi in 2023. Happily, the elections were held generally peacefully in spite of the tension during the pre-election campaign activities”, he said.
Also speaking at the peace Accord, is the Inspector General of Police, represented by DIG (Force CID), Sylvester Abiodun, who assured their readiness for the election, saying, Police authority deployed over 36,000 officers to secure all the 18 local government areas. This effort he added, will be supplemented by officers from other security agencies, totaling 43,157 personnel.
Earlier, the Governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa also commended the National Peace Committee’s efforts and pledged to uphold democracy and the peace accord. He expressed hope that the peaceful atmosphere can be sustained during and after the elections, urging other parties to follow suit.
Peace accord is a crucial step towards every peaceful electoral process in Nigeria, having seen its previous successes in reducing election violence.
Already, the 18 political parties in Ondo have agreed and pledged to promote a peaceful gubernatorial election and accept the results, provided they are free, fair and credible, they said.
