AHEAD of Wednesday’s signing of the 2nd and final peace agreement by political parties participating in the forth coming general elections to maintain peace and accept the outcome, irrespective of the outcome,42 political parties have said they will boycott the event.
President Buhari with L-R: Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Bishop Matthew Kukah, APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomole, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Bishop Matthew Kukah, Chairman National Peace Committee and Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Vice Chairman National Peace Committee Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe and Anglican Archbishop of Abuja Province Bishop Nicholas Okoh as he participates at Signing of Peace Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding by Presidential Candidates and Party Chairmen in Abuja on 11th Dec 2018
But the parties said in event that they attend, they will stage a walkout to show their displeasure over certain developments in the polity which they accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC of causing.
To avoid the development, the parties said “it must be included in the accord that the security agencies should not arrest leaders of the opposition parties few hours to election as was done in Osun guber election.”
Spokesman of Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, and Chairman of the Action Peoples Party, APP, Ikenga Ugochinyere, in a statement, said to avoid it, the “Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and security agencies must not exclude Opposition parties agents from collation venues from polling unit to the final collation level.”
He said a letter signed by four of the parties which are signatories to the agreement have been written to the committee headed by the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar,rtd, to that effect.
The statement read thus:”42 Political Parties Plans to boycott/stage walk out during the final Peace Accord Signing ceremony billed to be witnessed by Former USA President Bill Clinton on Wednesday 13th Feb 2019 unless the National Peace Committee includes the following conditions for free, fair and credible election inside the accord billed for signing this week.
“That it must be included in the accord that the security agencies should not arrest leaders of the opposition parties few hours to election as was done in Osun guber election.
“That INEC and security agencies must not exclude Opposition parties agents from collation venues from polling unit to the final collation level.
“That it will be a breach of the accord for any security agencies to arrest agents of opposition parties or stop them from accessing the venue of election and collation.
“That accreditation must be done with party agents physically monitoring the identification of the voters.
“That INEC should be allowed by security agencies to do their work without interference in accordance with Electoral Act.
“That no result shall leave the Polling Unit without being announced and pasted on the wall in accordance with the Electoral Act.
“That Politically motivated Police Postings should be discontinued and reversed like the case of the Posting of the Security Aide of APC chieftains Bola Tinubu as Kwara Commissioner of Police.
“That INEC must ensure unrestricted access to agents of parties fielding candidates to the situation room and pilot phase of e-collation at all levels of collation up to National Headquarters to ensure transparency.
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