Throwback To The Signing Of The Peace Accord By Jonathan And Buhari In 2015

A new peace accord has been signed by major political parties and presidential candidates ahead of the 2019 general elections and so it’s a good time to look back to the signing of a similar accord in 2015 ahead of the 2015 general elections.
This is an opportunity to give credit to a group of people that have not really been acknowledged yet.

It was predicted that these elections would lead to violence. There were a lot of threats and mudslinging during the election campaign.

Former heads of state/presidents, who were worried about what was happening, decided to create a National Peace Accord Committee. The committee was mandated to do everything possible to ensure that the election process and its aftermath were peaceful.

Most of the heads of state are old and some have health challenges, so they appointed Abdulsalam Abubakar, who is the youngest former head of state, as chairman of the committee. Members of the committee included former top government officials:

*General Abubakar (former head of state),
*Commodore Ukiwe (former chief of general staff, i.e. military vice president),
*Chief Anyaoku (former foreign minister and former Commonwealth secretary-general),

religious leaders

*Cardinal Onaiyekan (Catholic archbishop of Abuja),
*Sultan Abubakar (sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs),
*Archbishop Okoh (archbishop of Abuja and primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion),
*Bishop Mathew Kukah (Catholic bishop of Abuja),

members of civil society groups
*Princess Priscilla Kuye (president of the Nigerian Bar Association [1991-1992]),

members of the business community

*Dangote (richest man in Nigeria), etc.

The committee got both President Jonathan and General Buhari to sign a peace accord. One of the sections of the accord states that the two parties would accept the result of the election.

Signing ceremony.

Members of the committee shuttled between the Aso Rock Villa and APC Headquarters on the night that the results were announced. They met both candidates and pressured them to keep to the terms of the agreement (some even allege that it was the committee that got the President to concede).

With Jonathan (left-right: General Abubakar, Commodore Ukiwe, Dangote, Cardinal Onaiyekan).

With Buhari (General Abubakar, Archbishop Okoh, Dangote, Commodore Ukiwe

.2019: UN To Set Up Committee, Speaks On Buhari, Atiku’s Ambition

As the 2019 general election draws near, the UN said there is the need to reactivate the National Peace Committee, which played critical roles in ensuring a peaceful 2015 presidential election.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres stated this in the ‘Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)’, presented to the UN Security Council.

The National Peace Committee followed the signing of the Abuja Peace Accord on Jan. 14, 2015 by former President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, then All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari and other presidential candidates.

The Committee comprised of ‘respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders’ who include former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Bishop Mathew Kukah, and Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto.

Guterres said his Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Chambas, continued to support efforts to sustain peace in the region by promoting and supporting inclusive national political dialogues, constitutional and democratic reforms and transparent, credible and peaceful election.

The UN chief said: “Cognizant of the politically active environment ahead of the Nigerian polls in 2019, he conducted consultations with political and religious leaders in Abuja from 18 to 21 March.

“National stakeholders concurred on the need for the full reactivation of the National Peace Committee of Nigeria, which had been instrumental in facilitating dialogue prior to the country’s elections in 2015″.

Through the Peace Accord, the candidates committed to “take proactive measures to prevent electoral violence before, during and after the elections”.

They also expressed determination “to avoid any conduct or behaviour that will endanger the political stability and national security of Nigeria,… to place national interest above personal and partisan concern”.

They further reaffirmed their “commitment to fully abide by all rules and regulations as laid down in the legal framework for elections in Nigeria”.

The UN chief noted the preparedness for the 2019 presidential election and other political developments in Nigeria.

He said: “In Nigeria, political developments centred on preparations for presidential and parliamentary elections set to take place in February 2019.

“On 9 April, the President, Muhammadu Buhari, declared his intention to run for a second term. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also announced his candidacy for the presidential election.

“A demand made by the House of Representatives in April, following an increase in violence in the Middle Belt and the north of the country, to dismiss national service chiefs and security advisers, has not been carried out.

“In addition, the decision of the National Assembly to summon Mr Buhari to provide a briefing on the increased insecurity in the country prompted a debate on whether the legislature had such power over the executive”.

Guterres noted the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill, which would reduce the age limits set for candidates for elected positions, and the adoption of the Electoral Act amendment, which would regulate the general elections

Former UN Secretary General, Mr Koffi Annan was present at one of the committee’s events.