Ahead of the 2019 general election, the National
Peace Committee and political parties on Thursday agreed to adopt the 2015 code of
conduct model to ensure peaceful and credible conduct of the general election.
As a means to consolidate on the peace efforts, the committee
headed by the former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd) said
political parties would meet on December 11 to formally sign a peace agreement
for the conduct of the elections.
While presenting the resolutions of the peace committee at a
meeting held with political parties on Thursday in Abuja, the Catholic Bishop of
Sokoto Diocese, His Grace Hassan Kukah, said the parties have resolved to adopt
the same principles that guided the ‘successful’ 2015 elections as a template
for ensuring that all stakeholders commit themselves to peaceful election in
2019.
He said the committee and political parties
discussed extensively on the need to ensure that politicians create a
favourable and conducive environment for the conduct of free, fair and credible
elections in 2019.
The cleric said: "Furthermore, we discussed the
theme of trust as a key ingredient in the conduct of our affairs. In the end, we have resolved to adopt the
same principles that guided the very successful 2015 elections, and therefore
commit ourselves to run issue-based campaigns at national, state 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."
As part of efforts to ensure peaceful 2019 elections, the
committee said political parties and politicians must refrain from making or
sponsoring public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that
have the capacity to incite or cause violence, before, during, and after the
elections.
It said the parties are also expected to commit themselves to
monitoring the adherence to the provisions of the peace accord and to support
institutions of government and the security agencies to act and be seen to act
with impartiality.
Under the initiative, the committee said the political
parties and politicians are to forcefully and publicly speak out against
provocative utterances, and oppose all acts of electoral violence whether perpetuated
by supporters or opponents.
Addressing the chairmen and secretaries of political parties
who attended the meeting, Abdusalam admonished them to help stem election
violence and the growing practice of hate speech.
According to him, the committee wants a repeat of the 2015
experience with regard to the conduct exhibited by political parties so that
2019 will be peaceful.
He enjoined political parties and their presidential
candidates to run issue-based campaigns.
On his part, the National Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, said the party is very concerned
about action of some religious leaders who engaged in acts of hate speech and
partisanship.
"It is unhelpful to turn places of worship
into political campaign platforms. Politicians should campaign to Nigerians on
the basis of what they stand for and not using religious organisations for
campaign purposes, that would not help us,” he said.
Speaking on the issues that may characterise the
campaigns for the 2019 general election, Oshiomhole said Nigerians have become more
enlightened and sophisticated in the way they look at issues, adding that for
any candidate to convince the electorate to vote for him, such person must show
character and integrity among other capacities.
The National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Abdulkadir
Abdulsalam, said Nigerians are particularly worried about the behaviour of the
some arms of security agencies which he said tends to portray them as being
partisan.
He said the National Peace Committee should also focus
attention on engaging the security agencies in order to secure their commitment
to good conduct during the elections.
The LP chairman took particular exception to the
role of the police in the crisis at the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly,
saying such act does not portray the force as a neutral party in the political
contest.
Also, the Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory
Council (IPAC) and National Chairman of Progressive Peoples Alliance, Peter
Ameh, commended the Abdulsalam-led peace committee for sustaining the peace
efforts.
According to Ameh, the 2019 elections can only be
acceptable to Nigerians if the umpire, Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), ensures that it is conducted in a free, fair and transparent
atmosphere.
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