Thirteen political parties on Wednesday signed a peace accord to ensure the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.
The political parties included the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Action Alliance (AA).
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Speaking at the ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee in Osogbo, Bishop Matthew Kukah, urged all political parties featuring in the election to work towards peace.
He said Nigeria was in need of a peaceful environment hence the need to encourage political actors to think towards peace.
He said violence has been one of the fundamental threats to Nigeria’s democracy.
Kukah urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political actors and other stakeholders to ensure that the election was free, fair and peaceful.
INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the success of the peace accord depended on all stakeholders.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Usman Baba, promised that the election would witness improved security situation over that of Ekiti.
People waiting to sell their votes – Barkindo
The Head of Secretariat, National Peace Committee, Rev. Fr. Atta Barkindo, has expressed concern over vote-buying ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.
While speaking on Channels Television, yesterday, the cleric said the electorate in Osun were already waiting to sell their votes during the election.
Barkindo, the Executive Director, Kukah Centre, lamented that poverty in the land was glaring, stressing that tackling vote-buying was more than just talking about it.
He said structural issues must be addressed to stop vote-buying.
“People are completely dispossessed waiting for a peanut to sell their votes to get N10,000, to get N20,000. It’s like waiting for your birthday and we can see the level of poverty on the street.
“So, we are appealing to the authorities, because there are millions of youths who are completely unemployed, families are living without food,” he said.
By Joshua Odeyemi with agency report
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