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Tag: peace pact

  • Parties, candidates to sign peace pact tomorrow

    Parties, candidates to sign peace pact tomorrow

    The 17 governorship candidates participating in the forthcoming election in Edo State will sign a peace accord tomorrow (Thursday) in the presence of a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; and other stakeholders.

    The signing of the accord will take place at 10 a.m., at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on Airport Road, Benin.

    The INEC chairman assured that the commission would ensure a credible, free and fair poll, while it had released all funds for the conduct of the election to the Edo State office, and that his visit would allow INEC to test-run the materials received so far.

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    Yakubu was accompanied on the visits by INEC’s National Commissioner supervising Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa States, Prof. Rhoda Gamus; the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Edo, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha; and the Administrative Secretary of INEC in Edo, Emmanuel Ogbodu.

    INEC chairman said: “This is a readiness assessment visit to Edo State and the purpose is to visit some of the local government areas. We have visited three to assess the readiness in terms of the level of preparation, the materials received so far, and how they are organising the election in the next eleven days.

    “Funds have been made available, and nobody is complaining. All the funds have been made available to the state and the state has made the funds available to the local government areas.”

  • APC, PDP absent as 53 parties sign peace pact

    •Gambari makes case for independent candidacy

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were absent at the 2018 Nigeria Political Parties Summit where 53 parties signed an undertaking to foster peace before, during and after the 2019 general elections.

    They pledged to ensure the elections are devoid of violence, threats, intimidation and hate speeches.

    The undertaking was signed as Nigeria’s former Permanent Representatives to the United Nation, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, said introduction of Independent candidacy was the way to go.

    Gambari stated independent candidacy will address the situation where a few political parties are holding the country to ransom.

    The two-day summit was organised by the Political Party Leadership and Policy Development Centre of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) with support from the European Union Support for Democratic Governance, Nigeria (EU-SDGN).

    The parties also pledged to abide by the code of conduct unveiled at the summit and conduct their political activities without any act of violence in the pre, during and post-election period.

    A copy of the pledge entitled “political parties and peaceful conduct of the 2019 election: our pledge” reads: “I, on behalf of my party Pledge to Nigerians that we shall uphold the honour of our party and our national unity by promoting a peaceful conduct of the 2019 elections.

    “We shall avoid any form of physical violence, threats, intimidation, hate speech aimed against other political parties, candidates, voters, electoral officials or ballots or electoral facilities.

    “We shall conduct our political activities devoid of any act of violence in the pre, during and post-election period.

    “We shall adhere to the Revised Code of Conduct for Political Parties in Nigeria 2018 and all extant laws governing the activities and behaviour of political parties in Nigeria. On this pledge we stand.”

    Speaking at the summit, Gambari said the constitution and electoral act should be amended to allow for independent candidacy.

    He explained it is one of the ways to avoid proliferation of political parties in the country and prevent political dominance by a few elite parties.

    Gambari also advocated the use of direct primaries by parties as a way of addressing corruption in the electoral process, saying politicians who have amassed wealth cannot afford to bribe millions of party members.

    He said further that one way to redirect the ship of state to engender democratic consolidation, economic regeneration and sustainable national integration, peace and stability is to collectively recommit to belief in the national ideals and emphasising what unites rather than sources of division.

     

  • Council poll: parties sign peace pact

    Council poll: parties sign peace pact

    Ahead of Saturday’s local government election in Kwara State, political parties have signed an undertaking to ensure a peaceful poll.

    The State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) and security agencies resolved that the parties would sign the undertaking as part of arrangements to ensure a violence-free election.

    KWSIEC’s Chairman Usman Ajidagba said peace was essential to a free and fair election. According to him, the decision to make the parties sign the undertaking was taken after it was noted that politicians were making inciting utterances.

    Ajidagba, who said the electoral body was prepared to conduct a credible election, urged parties to cooperate with the body..

    The Police commissioner, who doubles as chairman of the election security inter-agencies consultative forum, Lawan Ado, said the forum was committed to the maintenance of peace and order before, during and after the election.

    Ado advised that any party or candidate, who has any security-related issue, should bring it up so it could be addressed to ensure a peaceful poll.

  • Dickson, Sylva, others sign peace pact

    Dickson, Sylva, others sign peace pact

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson; his predecessor, Chief Timipre Sylva and other parties’ governorship candidates in the November 21 election yesterday signed a peace accord.

    The candidates agreed to ensure peaceful and violence-free poll at a brief ceremony in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Sylva, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), signed the peace pact with 18 other candidates and their party chairmen.

    The ceremony was witnessed by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, who was represented by INEC National Commissioner for Northwest, Mrs. Amina Zakari.

    Others at the event included Rivers State Police Commissioner Nasiru Oki; State Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), Ade Oluseso; the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Baritor Kpagih; traditional rulers and other stakeholders.

     

  • A peace pact in Aba

    A peace pact in Aba

    Candidates for legislative seats from Abia South Senatorial District of Abia State have pledged to ensure peace during the election, reports SUNNY NWANKWO

    By 11am, the Aba Town Hall auditorium was already filled up by candidates contesting for various political offices in the zone. Among the candidates were Ossy Prestige, Kate Maduako, Blessing Nwagba, Thomas Nkoro, and other candidates.

    The peace accord went on smoothly, but some of the participants described the exercise as a mere formality, fearing that the pact may not be respected, especially by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Prestige, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), said the pact would only work if all the parties sincerely implement it.

    He urged the police in the state to uphold the law without fear or favour, be neutral and not hesitate to prosecute anyone who breaches the pact.

    Speaking at the event, the state police boss, Habila Joshak hammered on the need for all political parties to adhere strictly to the accord. He warned that police in the state would not take it lightly with any politician who would breach of peace.

    “We are signing this accord to ensure that you play the game according to the rule. We want to ensure that your supporters out there understand your body language.

    “They may not know what you feel about campaigning for this position. Some of them have taken it to a greater height. Some of them have made it a fight. Some of them are exhibiting a do-or-die attitude when some of you do not wish it so.

    “There is an unlimited opportunity for you to meet your supporters, you have the opportunity to bring them together and tell them that this is not a war but a game”, he said.

    The Abia CP said politicians must learn to play politics with the spirit of sportsmanship, stressing that they must learn how to be good winners and good losers.

    While urging Abia politicians to foster cordial relationships among themselves asked them to spread the message of non-violence to their supporters, adding that doing so would make the polity peaceful and violence-free.

    The Aba Area Commander Peter Wagbara promised that the command would ensure peaceful elections under his command.

    Wagbara warned that they were not going to take it lightly with anyone that would want to foment trouble or cause breach of peace in the commercial city and its environs.

    “On our part as police officers we are going to be sure that we would be fair and firm and anybody who tries fomenting any trouble, we will allow the law to take its cause,” he said.

    Hon. Blessing Nwagba representing Aba North State Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly said the pact was important for the growth of democracy and assured that she and other PDP candidates as law abiding people would ensure that they pass the message to their supporters and commended the police for such a courageous step geared at ensuring a free, credible and transparent electioneering process in the state and the country at large.