Candidates from 18 political parties participating in the
presidential election scheduled for February 25 have signed a peace accord in
Abuja.
Present at the signing of the peace accord were members of
the National Peace Committee, as well as President Muhammadu Buhari.
Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, Bola Tinubu
of the All Progressives Congress, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Rabiu
Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples
Democratic Party were among the presidential candidates present.
By the text of the peace accord, a presidential candidate
makes a commitment to “accept and abide by the outcome of the 2023 presidential
election and if issues should arise”, to “deploy constitutional means and
appeal to the courts rather than other unconstitutional means”.
In his remarks, Goodluck Jonathan, the immediate past
president, said the peace accord is needed to help deter candidates and their
allies from using instruments of misinformation to influence the election.
The former president, who was represented by Matthew Kukah,
Catholic bishop of Sokoto, charged the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure that the election is
credible.
“This is aimed at mitigating disinformation, and
misinformation during the election and in the time of the social media era,”
Jonathan said.
“There is no other
time than now given the considerable tension in the country as a result of the
election. The election is not war. The country needs a stable democracy. The
world looks up to us to get our leadership right and leadership recruitment
right.”
Yakubu Gowon, former military head of state, advised the
candidates to be “civil in their engagements”, adding that Nigeria is in need of
a leader who is capable of “bringing and ensuring dividends of democracy to the
doorsteps of the people”.
“I appeal to those who are bent on disrupting the election
to reconsider their actions, to give an opportunity for just and fair
resolution to the problems at hand. I wish all Nigerians a peaceful election
and smooth transition of government as we had last time,” he added.
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