A peace pact, designed to ensure a peaceful election process ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, has been signed by a large majority of the presidential candidates from various political parties at the International Conference Centre Abuja, Nigeria.

A similar peace accord was also signed in 2015 ahead of the general elections and a few familiar faces were also present at this year’s signing. 

Organised by the National Peace Committee and lead by a former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, the signing was attended by several representatives from over 30 political parties. However, major players such as the People’s Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili from the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, the Social Democratic Party’s Donald Duke, Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress and Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressives Party, were notably absent from the signing.

Atiku, Ezekwesili and Sowore have admitted that their inability to attend the signing was based on the lack of a formal invitation from the committee. This is an accusation the committee has vehemently denied, stating that invitations were handed out to all candidates involved in the polls.

However, the committee’s chairman, Abdulsalami Abubakar, has announced that the signing is still open to candidates who missed out on Tuesday’s event, stating that they still have a chance to pen their signatures on the pact before the election process fully commences.

Details of the full agreement have been provided to the press, showing the pact the candidates have agreed to. Some of the key features of this year’s accord include their commitment to the following:

1. To run issue-based campaigns at national, states 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;
2. To refrain from making or causing to make in our names or that of our party, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections;
3. To commit themselves and political parties to the monitoring of the adherence to the accord by a National Peace Committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders;
4. To support all the institutions of government including INEC and security agencies to act and be seen to act with impartiality;
5. To forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence, whether perpetrated by supporters and/or opponents.

Recall that the peace accord signed in 2015 played a crucial part in ensuring a peaceful, free and fair election, that surprised not just Nigerians but the International community as well. The country waits with bated breath to see what next year’s election holds.