“I, therefore, implore you each to ensure peace before, during and after the election. Electoral violence is a great threat to free, fair and credible election. Violent free election would benefit the state”
Ahead of the 2023 general election, governorship candidates of 10 political parties in Yola, Adamawa state on Saturday signed a peace accord.
The event was being organised by the Police and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Hudu Ari said the agreement aimed at ensuring free, fair, credible and peaceful election in the state.
“I, therefore, implore you each to ensure peace before, during and after the election.
“Electoral violence is a great threat to free, fair and credible election,” he said, adding that violent free election would benefit the state.
According to Ari, the signing of peace accord is a commitment by all candidates towards conduct of issue base campaign through the spirit of sportsmanship by recognising that only one candidate will emerge as winner at the end of the exercise.
He tasked political parties and their candidates to shun hate speech and educate voters on polling procedures and orderliness.
Ari reiterated the commitment of the Commission towards conducting free, fair and credible elections.
The Adamawa Commissioner of Police, Mr Sikiru Akande commended the parties and their candidates for peaceful electioneering campaigns and urged them to sustain the tempo.
He said there was no political violence recorded since the commencement of the campaign in the state.
“For us, the security services will not do anything to make the level playing ground unfair to anybody.
“And when we achieve that, about 90 per cent of the election problems will be over,” he said, stressing that no meaningful development could be achieved without peace.
Also, the Director of Department of State Security Service (DSS), Babagana Bulama urged political parties and their candidates to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship, and play the game by the rules to ensure peace before, during and after the elections.
“Peace is the foundation of development, hence the need for all to understand and abide by the laws”.
The Commission earlier held stakeholders’ engagement with community leaders to mobilise participation in Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection exercise as well as facilitate conduct of peaceful election in the state.
