2019 polls: Parties to meet Dec 11 to sign peace accord

As part of measures to ensure the success of the 2019 general elections, all registered political parties will on December 11 in Abuja formally signed a peace accord for the conduct of the elections.

The National Peace Committee headed by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) said this in Abuja on Thursday at the end of a marathon meeting with the parties and other stakeholders.

While presenting the resolutions of the meeting, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Kukah, said the parties have resolved to adopt the same principles that guided the success of 2015 elections as a template for ensuring that all stakeholders commit themselves to peaceful conduct of the 2019 elections.

He said the committee and political parties discussed extensively on the need to ensure that politicians create a favourable and conducive environment for the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in 2019.

“We discussed the theme of trust as a key ingredient in the conduct of our affairs.

“In the end we have resolved to adopt the same principles that guided the very successful in 2015 elections and therefore commit ourselves to run issues-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels.

“In this, we pledge to refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitement, ethnic or tribal profiling, both by ourselves and by all agents acting in our names,” Kukah said.

The committee said political parties and politicians must refrain from making or sponsoring public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during, and after the elections.

It said that the parties are also expected commit themselves to monitoring the adherence to the provisions of the peace accord and to support institutions of government and the security agencies to act and be seen to act with impartiality.

The committee said the parties and politicians are to forcefully and publicly speak against provocative utterances and oppose all acts electoral violence whether perpetrated by supporters or opponents.