President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will today sign a peace accord on the outcome of the February 16 presidential election.
Former US President Bill Clinton will also
speak with Buhari and Atiku this week to ensure peaceful election, his
spokesman Angel Ureña said in a statement.
Clinton was earlier
billed to deliver keynote address and witness the signing of the peace
accord organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) led by former
Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The former US
president however cancelled the trip because his visit to Nigeria “has
the potential to be politicized in a way that is not in line with the
goals of the Committee,” Ureña said.
“This is a crucial time in
Nigeria, and President Clinton is hopeful that the election’s outcome
reflects the will of the Nigerian people,” the spokesman added.
Buhari, Atiku confirm attendance
When
contacted last night, Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser Media and
Publicity to President Buhari, said “You will see him [the president]
there.”
Mr. Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media aide, also confirmed to Daily Trust yesterday that the former VP would sign the pact today.
President
Buhari had on December 11, 2018 signed the first peace pact, tagged
“Abuja Accord 2018” along with several other presidential candidates.
The PDP candidate who was absent at the event however signed the pact
the following day.
While signing the first pact, Buhari had said,
“We, the candidates pledge to uphold the highest standard of conducts
and encourage our teeming supporters to do same.”
Also, after signing the pact, Atiku commended the president for signing the peace agreement.
Daily
Trust reports that in the build up to the 2015 elections, the NPC
facilitated the signing of the peace accord between then President
Goodluck Jonathan, Buhari and 12 other candidates for the presidential
poll.
‘Parties should act within the law’
Speaking to the
Daily Trust in a phone interview earlier, the convener of the NPC and
Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah said the focus
of first peace accord was on the conduct of politicians during
campaigns, the second would be on acceptance of the poll’s result if the
election is free, fair and credible.
He added that it was left
for the political parties, presidential contestants and other candidates
to act within the law and spirit of the National Peace Pact.
The
PDP had on Wednesday, February 6 threatened to opt out of the first
accord after accusing the ruling APC and its members of breaching the
terms of the accord, but the APC campaign denied the allegations.
42 parties list 8 conditions for signing accord
Daily
Trust reports that 42 political parties had on Monday given eight
conditions that must be included in the accord before signing it.
The
position was contained in a statement on behalf of the parties by the
Chairman of Action Peoples Party, Imo Ugochinyere; National Chairman of
Alliance National Party, Mashood Shittu; National Chairman, People’s
Coalition Party, Anthony Harmattan; and National Chairman, Action
Alliance, Kenneth Udeze.
They are: “The conditions are that it
must be included in the accord that security agencies should not arrest
leaders of the opposition parties few hours to election, as was done in
Osun governorship election.
“The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and security agencies must not exclude opposition
parties’ agents from collation venues, from Polling Unit to the final
collation level.
“It would be a breach of the accord for any
security agency to arrest agents of opposition parties or stop them from
accessing the venue of election and collation.
“Accreditation must be done with party agents physically monitoring the identification of the voters.
“INEC
should be allowed by security agencies to do their work without
interference in accordance with Electoral Act, 201, as amended.
“No
result shall leave the polling unit without being announced and pasted
on the wall, in accordance with the Electoral Act, as amended.
“Politically-motivated
police postings should be discontinued and reversed like the case of
the posting of the former security aide of (All Progressives Congress
chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Kayode Egbetokun, as Kwara Commissioner
of Police.)
“INEC must ensure unrestricted access to agents of
parties fielding candidates to the situation room and pilot phase of
e-collation at all levels of collation up to national headquarters to
ensure transparency.”
Source:- Dailytrustng
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