18 political parties’ presidential candidates have agreed to hold this Saturday’s election peacefully.
All the contenders gathered at the International Convention Centre in Abuja for the historic event on Wednesday.
Bola Tinubu (APC), Peter Obi (LP), Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Rabiu Kwankwaso (NNPP), and Dan Nwanyanwu were present as presidential candidates (ZLP).
Presidential candidates for the 2023 elections were required to sign the Peace Agreement twice, in contrast to elections held before 2015, the year the National Peace Committee was established.
Before the beginning of the campaigns, the first one was signed in September of last year. That agreement was signed as a requirement for a peaceful campaign by the candidates.
The candidates have now signed a second time, pledging their support for the peaceful conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
In his speech, President Muhammadu Buhari reaffirmed his commitment to letting the rule of law play out.
The President urged those charged with organizing the election to provide the people the power to choose their representatives.
Additionally, he urged the candidates to accept the results of the vote and seek legal action if they were unhappy with them.
IGP Usman Alkali Baba and former South African president Thabo Mbeki, who is leading the Commonwealth Election Observation Group to Nigeria, were also there.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reaffirmed that it would hold the elections on the planned date.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, also guaranteed Nigerians a fair election.
In his remarks, the IGP bemoaned the lack of adherence to the September peace accord’s letter, which required the candidates to run on an issue-based platform.
To guarantee a calm election, Baba pleaded with the political parties to control their supporters.
The former president Goodluck Jonathan, who acknowledged the results of the 2015 elections and worked to maintain the nation’s peace.
Bishop Matthew Kukah, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, were a few of the peace committee members there.
Samuela Isopi, the ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Nigeria, urged Nigeria to set a strong example for the rest of the world in terms of advancing democracy during her speech.
She urged all candidates to accept the election results and seek legal action if they were unhappy with them.
The Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, emphasized the significance of the general elections in 2023 while highlighting Nigeria’s important place on the continent.