Richard Elesho

The National Peace Committee, NPC. on Wednesday organised the signing of a peace accord by stakeholders in the 11 November governorship election in Kogi state. Eighteen Governorship Candidates of various political parties signed the accord to avert acts capable of breeding violence before, during, and after the polls.

The ceremony is aimed at ensuring peaceful and transparent conduct of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

Chairman of the National Peace Committee, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, represented by Cardinal John Onaiyekan, called on the INEC to use the off circle election  to be conducted in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states to redeem it’s  battered image. He noted that the image of the commission was currently very low.

He said Nigerians were beginning to lose confidence on the ability of the commission to conduct free fair and credible election owing to it’s past and urged the commission to match it’s words with actions.

While identifying three groups that are responsible for peaceful and transparent election, he mentioned the electorate who are to choose credible leaders, the contestants who are to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner and the government agencies such as INEC and security agencies who are expected to remain neutral and transparent during the election.

General Abdulsalami urged the contestants and their political parties not to see the signing of the peace accord as a mere tradition but to abide by the rules and regulations guiding the election.

In a response on behalf of the INEC chairman, the National Commissioner representing Kogi, Nasarawa, and Kwara State, Alhaji Sanni Mohammed Adam reiterated that, INEC will conduct free, fair, transparent and credible election.

He, however, called on the political players to caution their supporters to abide by the rule of the game and thank the NPC for organising the peace accord.

The Deputy Inspector-general of Police in charge of Force Intelligence, Mr A.H  Sanni, who represented the IGP on the occasion assured the Committee and indeed all the people in the state that the election would hold peacefully as all machinery towards that has been put in place.