The National Peace Committee (NPC) has met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Aso Villa in Abuja, Naija News understands. Led by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, and former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, the NPC met with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo behind closed doors. The meeting with Osinbajo comes after the NPC ended their meeting with the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, which took place at the residence of the PDP Presidential candidate, Gen. Abubakar said his committee decided to address the disagreement, given its mission to always ensure that there is peace in the country. “Currently now, tensions are high and we need to see how we can douse the situation. We have come to listen to the grievances from the PDP. We will continue shuttling to see how we can make sure that the peace is maintained,” he said. Asked if the talks would be extended to the ruling party, Gen. Abubakar said, “Naturally, when you are dealing, of course, you need to contact all the stakeholders.” The integrity of our elections can only be ensured if it is peaceful and devoid of rigging and vote buying. The code of conduct designed by the peace committee is very important for the 2019 elections and all stakeholders must subscribe to it. It should be seen as one of the conditions for a peaceful election. Let the political class spare our country of avoidable crisis by playing the game according to the rules. We urge the politicians not to heat up the polity. As the peace committee rightly recommended, let the political parties embrace the code of conduct in their campaigns.

Let the candidates tell Nigerians what they can offer the country if they win the election. It is about promises that must be kept. Nigerians deserve a free, fair and credible election in 2019. We, therefore, enjoin the political parties and their candidates to adhere to issue-based campaigns, devoid of rancour and violence. We also urge INEC to monitor the campaigns and ensure that the political parties play according to the stipulated rules.

These are the details of the agreement the parties committed themselves to, as recorded in the signed document:

Ekenne Campaign AD

1. 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;

2. To refrain from making or causing to make in our names or that of our party, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence before, during and after the elections;

3. To commit themselves and political parties to the monitoring of the adherence to the accord by a National Peace Committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders;

4. To support all the institutions of government including INEC and security agencies to act and be seen to act with impartiality

Okowa Campaign AD

5. To forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence, whether perpetrated by supporters and/or opponents.

Naija News

The Sun

Leadership

Leave your comments below…