Four top Nigerian presidential candidates signed a peace deal on Wednesday, pledging to conduct themselves peacefully in the upcoming presidential election in Nigeria 2023 scheduled for Saturday, February 25th. The signing ceremony was held in the International Conference Center in the capital, Abuja, and was organized by the Abdulsalami Abubakar-led Peace Committee, a group made up of religious, traditional, and opinion leaders.
In attendance were several of the 18 presidential hopefuls running, including Atiku Abubakar from the People’s Democratic Party, Bola Tinubu from the ruling party All Progressives Congress, Peter Obi from the Labour Party, Omoyele Sowore from the African Action Congress, and Rabiu Kwankwaso from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, among others. The only candidate absent from the ceremony was Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by his vice-presidential running mate.
The head of the Nigerian electoral commission, Mahmood Yakubu, confirmed that the organization is ready to hold the election, and praised the signing of the peace deal as a critical moment in the electoral calendar. “The signing of the Peace Accord today comes at a critical moment in the electoral calendar. Campaign for Presidential and National Assembly elections ends at midnight tomorrow Thursday 23rd February 2023. Election will hold on Saturday this week. INEC is ready”, said Yakubu.
Violent elections?
Nigeria has had a long history of violent and contentious elections, which have been marred by violence, fraud, court challenges, and a rise in ethnic tensions. The peace deal is a private initiative aimed at reducing electoral violence, led by religious, traditional, and opinion leaders who urged candidates to focus on issues and steer away from incitement to violence.
“The Commission is committed to free, fair and credible elections in compliance with the electoral legal framework and the letter and spirit of the Peace Accord. All political parties and candidates are hereby reassured of the Commission’s neutrality. INEC is not a political party; we have no candidate in the election. Our allegiance is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and our loyalty is to Nigerians”, announced the electoral chief.
Lead up to the election in Nigeria 2023
Analysts predict that the presidential election race will be a close one, with third-party candidate Peter Obi challenging the traditional dominance of the ruling APC and main opposition PDP. The signing of the peace deal has been hailed as a positive development, and many hope that it will help to reduce the likelihood of violence and unrest during the elections.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in his address, reiterated his commitment to allowing the rule of law to take its course and called on those responsible for conducting the election to allow the electorate to choose who governs them. The peace deal signing is the second of its kind; the first was signed in September 2022, prior to the commencement of campaigns, and the second now enlists the commitment of the candidates to a peaceful conduct of the presidential election.
Image Credit: Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters
