All the 17 political parties participating in the next Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo state, on Friday, signing the peace accord, with an assurance that the election will be peaceful.
The Peace Accord which was initiated by the National Peace Accord Committee, under the leadership of the former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Convener, Bishop Mathew Kukah.
The NPC Chairman, General Abubakar, while speaking at the event, appealed to all the participating political parties and candidates in the November 16, 2024 governorship election to avoid any act that can lead to political violence during the election.
Abubakar said the signing of the peace accord was meant to “commit the gubernatorial candidates and their party Chairmen to support a peaceful and credible electoral process and promote the ideals of peace and democracy
He appealed to “the party leaders and candidates to accept the outcome of the elections as long as it is adjudged to be free, fair, and credible, and to seek legitimate and peaceful means of addressing any concern that may arise thereafter.
He also called “on all stakeholders to work assiduously in their capacities to ensure that peace reigns supreme during this election and that the Ondo state off-cycle election sets a precedent for other off-cycle elections to emulate.
“While | commend the INEC, for the work done so far, | call on them to continuously live up to their responsibilities in ensuring that eligible voters exercise their franchise peacefully and that the remaining electoral processes are credible free, and fair.
“1 must also extol the Nigeria Police Force and members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for maintaining peace and security in Ondo state.
“It has indeed remained one of the relatively peaceful states in the Country. | therefore urge them to remain resilient in averting any threats of violence and maintaining the peace in the state as we are only a few days away from the elections.
“| want to encourage the good people of Ondo state to exercise their civic duty by coming out en masse to vote for the candidates of their choice and desist from selling their votes, as it contradicts the very essence of democracy.
“It remains the duty of Nigerian citizens to elect their leaders free from any inducements or prejudice. Political actors must also discontinue this menace of vote trading.
“As citizens you must also respect that only the INEC has the constitutional authority to announce the results, therefore, it behooves the party leaders to ensure that they play a critical role in encouraging their supporters to refrain from making statements that will incite violence within this period especially after the results have been announced.
“I urge all politicians who will sign the accord to fully commit themselves and their parties to the letter and spirit of the accord. fo shun violence and intimidation and remember that as politicians you must demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship, as that is a key trait of good leadership.
“It is the sincere hope of the National Peace Committee that the Ondo state elections will be free, fair, credible, and peaceful.”
While speaking, the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, commended the committee for their tireless efforts in bringing parties and candidates together for peaceful elections in Nigeria.
The INEC boss said “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.
While saying that this was the second Peace Accord to be signed by political parties and candidates, the INEC boss, added that “there has been no major election-related indent in Ondo State known to INEC.
He said “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”
The INEC boss, said that “for our part, I want to assure you that we have taken measures to address election day challenges, especially the perennial challenge of logistics.
” Over the last four days, I have engaged with our own officials, security agencies and transport service providers here in Ondo State to assess our readiness and perfect our arrangements for the movement of over 17,000 ad hoc and regular officials as well as large quantities of materials to 4,154 voting and collation locations (3,933 polling units, 203 Ward and 18 LGA collation centres).
“In the case of Ondo State, this task is to be accomplished by boat in the two riverine Local Government Areas of Ese Odo and Ilaje, and by a combination of trucks, four wheel vehicles and motorcycles in respect of the mainland areas of the State.
“You should therefore expect to see a remarkable improvement in Election Day logistics. Voters in Ondo State should also expect to see similar improvement in result management.
“I will not be tired of appealing to political parties and candidates to note that your signatures on the Peace Accord document alone will not guarantee a peaceful election.
“The Peace Accord is not an automated, self-activating document. Your commitment to its implementation is critical.
“Therefore, as you sign the Peace Accord, you should commit yourselves to its implementation and pass the message to your supporters at all levels for compliance.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, reassured the candidates and their political parties that Police and other sister security agencies will remain neutral and impartial to the successful conduct of the election.
He ssured that the police in collaboration with other security agencies would support INEC in conducting the election and said “We will remain impartial, professional and vigilant while providing a level playing ground for political parties and their candidates.”
Ondo state governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, assured the committee of the safety of all stakeholders during and after the election.
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