The Chairman of the National Peace Committee, retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar has said presidential candidates and national chairmen of all political parties in the country will sign a peace pact ahead of the 2019 general elections. He said the Memorandum of Understanding that would be signed by those concerned was meant to prevent violence and hate speeches during campaigns.
Abdulsalami, a former military Head of State, said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja after a closed-door meeting his committee had with a delegation from the Independent National Electoral Commission, led by its chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu on Wednesday.
He said the peace pact would be signed during a meeting scheduled for today. The former military leader expressed worry over the security situations in the country, especially the heightened security problems in the North East and violence in Rivers State.
He said members of his committee decided to invite the INEC chairman to brief them on preparations for the elections, the commission’s challenges and how to conduct successful elections. He advised Nigerians to embrace peace, saying there could not be development in an atmosphere of rancour.
He said he was convinced that INEC was being well funded to carry out its tasks, adding that the task at the moment is for political parties to get their acts together.
Join our twitter community :