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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with candidates of other political parties expected to participate in the June 20 governorship election in the state, has signed a peace accord to affirm the candidates’ commitment to a peaceful process.
Oyebanji, who is seeking re-election, reaffirmed his strong commitment to ensuring peace before, during and after the June 20 governorship election in the state while signing the peace accord alongside 11 other governorship candidates.
The peace pact was organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the signing of the document was witnessed by the National Chairman of the body, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was represented by General Martin Luther Agwai; the convener of the NPC, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah; the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; and the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, among others.
Addressing the gathering shortly after appending his signature to the document, Governor Oyebanji noted that his party had just concluded its local government campaign tour across the state without any record of violence, a development he said reflected the commitment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to peace, as well as his administration’s resolve to ensure harmony in the state.
The governor said the fact that no case of violence had been recorded in the electioneering period, barely one month before the election, had further reinforced his confidence that the forthcoming poll would be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.
While noting that the prevailing calm across the state was unprecedented in Ekiti’s electoral history, the governor said it was perhaps the first time a governorship election was approaching with such a high level of peace and political maturity.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to preserving peace across the state, the governor charged political parties and their candidates to honour the peace agreement in both words and actions by ensuring strict compliance with its provisions, urging them to place the interest of the state above partisan considerations and work collectively to sustain the peaceful atmosphere already being witnessed across the state.
The governor said, “Our party just concluded a tour of local government in the state, and it was violence-free. Ekiti State will be 30 years old in October this year. This is the first time in the history of the state that an election will be a few days away, and we will have this kind of peace.
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“So, I stand to make a commitment that after signing this accord and, like the INEC Chairman said, it is not the signing that is important but the character of those holding the pen, and I believe strongly, and I can attest to fellow contestants, that we will do everything to ensure that we have peace.
“I stand to make a bold declaration on behalf of the government that I am leading and other contestants that the election will be peaceful because it is only in the atmosphere of peace that we can serve our people.”
Earlier in his remarks, the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, reminded the participating political parties and their candidates that signing the peace accord was not merely a bureaucratic formality but a moral treaty entered into before the Nigerian people and the international community. He noted that they were expected to demonstrate sincerity by translating their signatures into actions that promote peace, tolerance and respect for the electoral process before, during and after the election.
The INEC chairman further urged political actors to avoid any conduct capable of undermining the credibility of the election, adding that the Commission remains fully committed to conducting a free, fair and transparent governorship poll in Ekiti State.
Also in his remarks, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, assured that the Nigerian police had made comprehensive security arrangements to guarantee the safety of voters, electoral officials and other stakeholders before, during and after the governorship election.
He explained that operational deployments, intelligence gathering and strategic positioning of personnel had been intensified across the state to prevent any breakdown of law and order, warning that the force would not hesitate to deal decisively with any attempt to disrupt the electoral process.
The police chief urged residents of Ekiti State to come out en masse on election day to exercise their civic responsibility, assuring them that adequate security had been put in place to ensure a peaceful, safe and credible electoral environment throughout the process.
Other political parties present at the signing included the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Labour Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), among others.
