INEC, security agencies should sign transparency, peace accord ― Umahi

EBONYI State Governor David Nweze Umahi has said it will be necessary to the nation to mandate the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sign undertaking for peaceful conduct and free, fair and credible election without any form of rigging or intimidation come February and March general election.

Governor made his feelings known at the state Executive Council Chamber Government House Abakaliki, were he Join other 25 Gubernatorial Candidates, to sign the peace accord for the forthcoming elections.

“This peace accord has been signed in the national level, I think this signing by the political parties is wrong, it should be done by Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and security agencies that should be signing this peace accord.

“They should be signing an undertaking that they will conduct themselves fairly and honestly in the discharge of their duties and not the political parties.

“We have no guns, we have no powers I will ask nationally that security agencies and INEC should also sign undertaking to conduct free and fair elections to safeguard the unity, integrity and oneness of this country,” he said.

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Earlier in her address, the chairman Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Ebonyi State Mrs Jennifer Adibe Nwafor, disclosed that the council had on 20th December 2018, organized a peace part program inviting all the gubernatorial candidates in the state to signed the peace accord which the People’s Democratic Party candidate Governor David UMAHI and that of the All Progressive Candidate Senator Sunni Ogbuorji were not in attendance which lead her to look for them.

She commended the Governor for embracing peaceful and credible election come 16th February and 2 March general election.

“The governorship candidates in Ebonyi State signed, at that meeting his Excellency the Governor of Ebonyi state and Senator Ogbuorji was not around.

“I have tried to inform his Excellency and the APC candidate, but the APC candidate has not given me an audience to sign the peace part.

“But His Excellency said come let me sign the peace part because I want peaceful election come this 2019.”

Adibe, however, explained that out of about 32 political parties that have gubernatorial candidates in Ebonyi State that only 26 signed the accord.

She gave the name of the parties that did not sign to be All Progressives Congress party APC, SDP, ACF, UPP, ZLP, and DPP respectively.