Presidential Candidates across 18 political parties, jostling for democratic opportunity through Saturday’s election to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, were gathered Wednesday in the International Conference Centre, Abuja, to purposefully for the second signing of peace accord administered by National Peace Committee under the leadership of former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
All Progessive Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, People’s Redemption Party (PRP) Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Kola Abiola, andd New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Presidential Candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso were among the candidates who attended.
President Muhammadu Buhari alongside visiting former Presidents Jomo Kenyata (Kenya) and Thabo Mbeki (South Africa) also attended the event.
The pact entails that all 18 registered political parties in Nigeria and their presidential candidates accepted the outcome of the February 25 election or to pursue legitimate means of redress in the event of agitation.
Speaking at the pact signing, General Abdulsalami Abubakar stressed the need for all the political parties to honour the terms of the peace accord, as he observed that some of them flouted the the first pact signed on September 29, 2023.
Abubakar’s words: “There was lack of compliance by the major political parties. Forty-four percent of the violations were carried out by spokespersons of the political parties and 26 percent by party members.
“Nineteen per cent of the violations were carried out by the presidential candidates themselves; 11 per cent by hard-core supporters and 4 per cent by party chairmen.
“Additionally, in January 2023, a lot of violence has occurred with at least 15 abductions (including that of a police officer) and at least, 30 killings (including those of 11 security personnel).”
