Enugu LG Polls: 7 Political Parties Sign Peace Accord Agreement
At least seven political parties in Enugu State, on Monday, signed a Peace Accord Agreement ahead of the upcoming Local Government Elections scheduled for Saturday, September 26.
The parties include the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT) and National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Others are Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a speech at the event, the Executive Chairman, Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Prof. Christian Ngwu, said the exercise was imperative to ensure that political parties, candidates and supporters maintain decorum before, during and after the polls.
Ngwu, represented by Commissioner One in ENSIEC, Dr Solomon Udeh, said with the agreement, political parties, candidates and their supporters had committed to peaceful, non-violence, free and inclusive participation at the polls.
According to him, they must respect other candidates and their parties, security agencies and electoral process as well as the results of the polls as announced by the commission.
“Political parties, their candidates and supporters must ensure peaceful resolution of internal party matters and ensure peaceful campaigns.
“Party officials, agents and supporters must abide by all the rules that promote transparency and credibility of the polls,” Ngwu said.
He gave assurance that the commission would conduct free, fair and credible polls, adding that all the political parties and their candidates would be provided a level playing field.
“We are already concluding all arrangements for the polls and the commission has put in place all the necessary requirements for hitch-free polls on Saturday, Sept. 26,” he said.
Responding, the state APC Chairman, Dr Martin Chukwunweike, said that his party would subscribe to all guidelines that would promote peaceful conduct of the polls.
Chukwunweike said that the party’s campaigns and activities had been “very peaceful”.
He said that the campaigns had been based on issues that uplift the people’s living standards and monumental achievements of the APC-led administration in transforming the state with modern amenities.
“As a party, APC is noted for peace and respect for rules and regulations guiding political conducts and our candidates and supporters will maintain our ever peaceful disposition in the council polls,” he said.
His APGA counterpart, Mr Uche Ojielo, called on ENSIEC to ensure that all the political parties were carried along and duly notified on issues relating to them in the polls.
Ojielo promised that his party would abide by the accord and ensure that its activities before, during and after the polls remained civil.