Buhari, Other Presidential Candidates Sign Peace Accord Ahead of 2019 Election

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, December 11th, 2018

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday implored all stakeholders to work towards successful and peaceful conduct of the 2019 elections.

Buhari made the call in Abuja at the signing of peace accord by the presidential candidates of all the political parties ahead of the 2019 elections under the aegis of National Peace Committee (NPC).

His words: “Today, we witness the formal and official signing of the peace accord by the presidential candidates of the parties contesting the next elections.

“We the candidates pledge to accord the highest tenets of conduct and encourage our teeming supporters to do the same.

“I wish to call on the INEC and all the security agencies to put the nation first in their conduct; the world is watching us and the task of building our country, institutionalising trust in our political system and institutions is fundamental to the growth and development of our country.’’

“To gather this trust, there must be norms, rules those whose role is to offer guidance; some of them might cultural, moral or religious.

“However, for our society to function well, culture of rules and regulations must be enshrined and accepted by both the government and the people.

This is why there are constitutions, legislations and courts to mediate and regulate the conduct of citizens; the building of trust in our society is a collective duty and responsibility of all citizens.

“Today, our primary concern is to sign into norms, laws, guidelines that will guide the conduct of our national elections at all levels.

“It is generally acceptable that democracy is the best form of government for any society; it is nonetheless, not a perfect system. In spite of its imperfections, democracy has come to stay in the world.’’

Delivering the keynote address, former Head of State Retired General Yakubu Gowon said that the number of political parties in Nigeria had grown to 91, adding that it was healthy for the country’s democracy.

Gowon said democracy could only thrive through persuasion and not by the use of force.

African Examiner reports that the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar did not attend the event.