Ishaku, Mama Taraba, Danladi turn down election peace accord in Taraba

THE governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party and Governor of Taraba State Darius Ishaku today refused to attend the 2019 election peace accord initiated in Taraba State by the state Commissioner of police Mr David Akinlemi.

Also, the governorship candidates of United Democratic Party UDP Aisha Arhasan popularly known as Mama Taraba and that of All Progressive Congress APC Sani Danladi also turn down the invitation by the police commissioner.

14 governorship candidates out of 20 in the state today (Thursday) attended the peace accord at the police headquarters in Jalingo Taraba state capital.

Addressing the crowd that attended the occasion, the commissioner of police, Taraba State command, Mr David Akiremi said the purpose for which the command organise the peace accord was to give confidence to the electorate that the 2019 general election was going to be free, peaceful and violent free.

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The Commissioner said the attendance of political candidates would also caution their supporters who were thinking of engaging into election violence during the forthcoming general election.

“The essence for this Peace accord was to ensure violent free polls in the forthcoming general elections in Taraba State, only Peace can guarantee credible polls in Taraba and Nigeria at large, there is need to come together to achieve peace so that all winners at the coming elections will be genuine.

Responding on behalf of Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, the senior special assistant to the governor on media and Publicity Bala Danhabu said governor Ishaku did not attend the peace accord meeting because some lesser governorship candidates were not at the meeting.

“How do you expect the governor to go and sit there while the lesser candidates like Aisha and Sani were absent, first of all, go and ask Aisha and Sani why they were not at the peace meeting before you will call me.

On his part, the spoke person of the APC Taraba State chapter Mr Aeron Atimas said at the time of the peace accord in Jalingo, the APC candidate Sani Abubakar Danladi was attending the APC National Election Council in Abuja.

“For the past one week, our candidate Sani Danladi has been in the APC National Election Council in Abuja, Sani would have been there lived if he was chance to be in Jalingo, we have no time for violence and we have already warned all our supporters against election violence.

The governorship candidate of UDP in Taraba Aisha Arhasan could not answer her call to explain why she was absent at the time of this publication.

Responding on behalf of the political candidates that were at the meeting, the governorship candidate of All Blending Party ABP Mr Kefas Sule lauded the initiatives by the commissioner of police David Akilemi, he calls on the security agencies in the state to remain professional during the conduct of the 2019 polls.

Kefas further call on the Commissioner to prevail on Governor Darius Ishaku and other candidates who were not at the meeting to sign the peace accord so as to give hope of peace to the common people around the state.