Jonathan, Buhari sign peace pact

Fourteen candidates in the February 14 presidential election, including President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progress Congress, (APC) yesterday have signed a peace bond in Abuja. Tagged Abuja Declaration Accord, the bond was signed at a sensitisation workshop on non-violence organised by the Offices of […]

Fourteen candidates in the February 14 presidential election, including President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progress Congress, (APC) yesterday have signed a peace bond in Abuja.
Tagged Abuja Declaration Accord, the bond was signed at a sensitisation workshop on non-violence organised by the Offices of the National Security Adviser and the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs.
The bond was first adopted through acclamation and then signed by all the 14 candidates.
Former Commonwealth Secretary General Emeka Anyaokwu, who chaired the occasion, read the peace agreement.
The Accord commits the candidates to the following:
1. To run issue-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels devoid of religious incitement and ethnic or tribal profiling.
2. To refrain from making public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence before, during and after the election.
3. To forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence, whether perpetrated by supporters and/or opponents.
4. To commit themselves and their parties to the monitoring of the adherence to the accord, if necessary, by a national peace committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders.
5. All the institutions of government including INEC and security agencies must act and be seen to act with impartiality”.
Earlier, President Jonathan had said that post-election violence was not necessarily caused by electoral malpractices but rather by politicians’ provocative utterances, preaching of hate by religious leaders and pronouncement by ethnic or tribal leaders.
He gave examples of the post-election in Kano and Bauchi States in 2011 where there was violence even though he got only 16 percent and 15 percent of the total votes from those two states, respectively, adding that there was no violence in states where he got more than 50 percent.
“So, violence is not necessarily caused by electoral malpractices,” he said.
On the way forward, the president said: “We must stop these hate preaching, instigating crises, threatening others, provocative and inflammatory statements by people, whether they’re traditional or religious leaders, or ethnic nationalities leaders.”
He said that in 1999, candidates were cleared by the SSS and if one was linked to any kind of violent behaviour, or cultism, that candidate wouldn’t be cleared.
“But later, the National Assembly changed this saying that it is the parties that will screen and clear candidates…Since then, all kinds of characters contest elections,” he added.
In 2011, INEC conducted the elections with the temporary voter’s card which he said was credible. But INEC wants to go further by deploying technology this time around. Now, the technology is being misunderstood by some people.
They say people have capacity to manipulate or hack or clone and so on. So, INEC must tell Nigerians in very clear terms so that Nigerians will believe in the result of the election. They must show that the methods adopted are very safe.
The President said the country needs to revisit the winner-takes-all syndrome in the system.
“At the executive level, we should come up with a system that will ensure that when a party wins the governorship or the presidency at the national level, in forming cabinet, the parties that did very well will also by right, by law and not by privilege or discretion of Mr Governor or Mr. President, be made to have a share of appointments in that government. If this is done, they’ll be mindful of their conduct and utterances.
Jonathan disclosed that out of the N15bn due to Kaduna State for the 2011 post-election violence, N3bn had been paid; while between N5bn and N7bn had so far been paid to other states.
He explained: “The level of destruction in Kaduna state was almost more than all the other parts of the country put together.
Jonathan promised to make the elections credible and be seen to be credible. “Sometimes when I travelled out as the president, I did not want to be elected as if I stole the mandate of the people. It is good for all of us who are contesting to see that the elections are free and fair if we are to be comfortable to be in office”.
Amend Electoral Act – Buhari
In his speech Gen Buhari lamented the inability of the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act 2010 to guide the 2015 general elections.
He said that 30 days to the polls Nigerians are still waiting for the amended Electoral Act for the 2015 elections.
Buhari said he contested in 2003, 2007 and 2011, but due to electoral malpractices and other breaches, the elections all ended up in the Supreme Court.
“And these three Supreme Court judgements are available with the government printers, for those that are really serious to know what is happening in our political development.
“I could give a good example which I am sure some of you will vividly recall. In 2003, when we disagreed with the elections, we spent 30 months in courts. Out of those 30 months in court, I know I can recall, I missed only four sittings; no matter when it started, whether it is seven in the morning to eleven in the night,” he said.
He similarly narrated his experiences in 2007 and 2011, stating that the amendment of the Electoral Act is important to the success of the upcoming elections.