Atiku, Duke, Ezekwesili absent as parties sign pact

I wasn’t invited, says PDP candidate

Abdulsalami: All were invited

we the candidates pledge to:

Run issue-based campaigns, refraining from campaigns that will involve religious incitements, ethnic or tribal profiling
Refrain from making speeches that can incite any form of violence
Commit ourselves to the monitoring of adherence to this Accord
Support all institutions, including INEC and the security agencies, to act and be seen to act with impartiality

Speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of violence.
Presidential candidates gathered yesterday in Abuja to pledge their commitment to a peaceful election next year.

But frontline contender and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar was not at the ceremony, an initiative of the Abdulsalami Abubakar National Peace Committee. He said he was not invited.

Also, absent at the International Conference Centre were many other contenders, including Oby Ezekwesili (Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN) and Donald Duke (Social Democratic Party, SDP). There are 73 presidential candidates.

The candidates agreed to:

run issue-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels. “In, this, we pledge to refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitements, ethnic or tribal profiling, both by ourselves and by all agents in our names”;
refrain from making or causing to make in our names and that of our parties, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections;
commit ourselves and political parties to the monitoring of the adherence to this Accord by a National Peace Committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders;
support all institutions of government including INEC and the security agencies to act and be seen to act with impartially; and
forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence whether perpetrated by our supporters and/or opponents.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who was there urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to put Nigeria first on its agenda in organising free, fair and credible elections next year.

He also noted that building on trust in any election was the collective responsibility of all citizens.

Buhari spoke during the signing of peace accord for the 2019 elections by Presidential candidate’s and their political parties in Abuja.

The President, who noted that past elections in Nigeria had been marred by violence perpetrated by political leaders and their followers, said that without trust, the country cannot be successful in its quest for growth.

He said: “We are gathered here today to perform a very important part of our quest for peaceful political process. We are here to install trust into various contestants.

“Given the central role that governance plays in our nation-state, it is clear that without trust our society cannot thrive or develop.

“Today, our primary concern is to sign into law, norms, guidelines that will guide the conduct of our national election,” he said

In This Story:#PDP #Abdulsalami #INEC #ObyEzekwesili #DonaldDuke #SDP #ACPN

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