Candidates in the upcoming governorship elections in Nigeria will sign a peace accord ahead of the hotly contested polls. As part of the efforts to douse tensions leading up to the September 19 governorship election in Edo state and also prevent further violence and destruction of property, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has announced that all candidates participating in the polls are mandated to sign a peace accord.
Chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced the commission’s decision while briefing the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 on health and safety measures set in place ahead of the elections–Nigeria’s first major election since the coronavirus outbreak led to a shutdown of activities early this year.
According to the commission, a total of 14 parties have fielded candidates for the polls in Nigeria. Among these candidates, the major contenders who have agreed to the peace accord include incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is currently seeking re-election with a ticket from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after defecting this year, and Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the now opposition All Progressives Congress Party (APC).
Speaking on the current state of things in the state with regards to violence and attacks from different parties, the commission explained that it had interfaced with its staff, relevant security agencies, as well as the traditional leader of the state, the Oba of Benin, to find strategic ways of managing the situation, with the peace accord serving as one of its many tactics.
“The National Peace Committee just like INEC and every conscientious Nigerian is also concerned about the fear of violence in elections. The National Peace Committee is organizing the signing of a high-profile peace accord in Benin on Tuesday next week,” Yakubu said.
Six political parties: All Progressives Congress (APC), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Young Peoples Party (YPP) African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) had previously signed a peace accord organized by the Conference of Non-governmental Organizations (CONGOS). The exclusionary nature of this signing – the ruling party and several others did not participate, however, makes it unofficial and shaky.
Violence aside, INEC also revealed that about 17,000 ad hoc staff would be recruited for the election, noting that the PTF guidelines and safety measures would be strictly obeyed as the commission was going to operate a ‘no face mask, no voting policy’ at the poll.
The governorship election is set to take place on Saturday, September 19, 2020.
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
