Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State, political parties and candidates contesting in the election on Friday signed a Peace Accord.
The peace accord, which is at the instance of the National Peace Committee(NPC), was signed at the International Culture and Events Centre in Akure, the state capital.
The Chairman, former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Rtd, appealed to all the stakeholders to ensure the election is conducted peacefully.
He also urged the party leaders and candidates to accept the outcome of the election as long as it was judged to be free, fair and credible.
His words: “I want to call on all stakeholders to work assiduously in their capacities to ensure that peace reigns supreme during this election.
“And that the Ondo State off-cycle election sets a precedent for other off-cycle elections to emulate.
“I want to urge all politicians who will sign the accord to fully commit themselves and their parties to the letter and spirit of the accord.
“Shun violence and intimidation and remember that as politicians, you must demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship, as that is a key trait of good leadership.
“So, it is the sincere hope of the National Peace Committee that the Ondo State election will be free, fair, credible and peaceful,” the NPC chairman said.
Also speaking, The National Chairman, Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, commended the committee for their timely efforts in bringing parties and candidates together for peaceful elections in Nigeria.
The INEC boss also appealed to religious leaders, traditional leaders, security agencies and others to join hands with the commission for a peaceful election.
“To all political parties and candidates, signing of the peace accord alone will not guarantee a peaceful election. Peace accord is never ultimate but your commitment with implementation is crucial.
“So, you have signed the peace accord, you should commit yourself with implementation and pass the message to your supporters to comply to honour the effort.
“I have said repeatedly that to honour the effort and sacrifices of the chairman and members of the NPC, we must ensure peaceful elections in Nigeria,” Yakubu said.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was represented at the event by DIG Abiodun Alabi.
He highlighted the activities of the police in providing security during the election. According to him, 36,637 personnel would be deployed in all the 3,933 polling units, 203 wards across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State.
“We are going to deploy four personnel to each of the polling units to protect the INEC materials, officials and electorate during and after the election.”
Speaking on behalf of the political parties, the Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Ondo State, OlaOluwa Adesanya, commended the organisers of the peace accord.
He called on the media, INEC and security agencies to be fully committed to performing their duties accurately.
Adesanya also pledged that all the political parties will strive towards ensuring peace reign during the conduct of the election.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of Ondo State and the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who spoke on behalf of the candidates noted that the state has been peaceful since the election activities and campaigns commenced.
He equally promised to abide by the rules and be peaceful before, during and after the election.
