The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, said it was unfortunate that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to sign the peace accord ahead of the Edo State governorship election.
But Kukah stated that the peace accord committee could not compel the party to endorse the peace agreement. He said PDP might have taken a cue from President Bola Tinubu, who did not sign the accord in 2022.
Kukah added that the functions of the committee were moral.
He cautioned that political parties and their candidates’ failure to publicly demonstrate commitment to non-violent electoral process in the country had been sending the wrong signals to Nigerians and the international community.
Speaking during the Edo Election Security Town Hall in Benin City, the state capital, Kukah lamented that PDP decided to act from the poor script written by Tinubu before the February 2023 presidential poll.
He admitted that the National Peace Accord Committee (NPAC) was not in any position to force candidates or parties to sign the peace pact, which has become an electoral ritual in the country over the last decade.
The town hall programme was put together by Channels Television, in collaboration with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) and UK International Development.
Kukah stated, “It’s a pity, but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the Peace Accord. The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal, which can be very easily exploited by the opposition.
“At the National Peace Committee, what we do is not in the Electoral Act, it’s not law; it’s moral. You can’t compel people to fall in love or love their neighbour.
“If you go back to the 2015 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the PDP, was not there to sign the Peace Accord. And, of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign.
“What is also very interesting is that the current president, when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign. It wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it.”
Kukah was referring to the September 2022 forum where the former Lagos State governor and then APC presidential candidate in the 2023 poll, Tinubu, failed to sign the Peace Accord endorsed by other candidates in the race.
But the current vice president and Tinubu’s then running mate, Kashim Shettima, showed up at the event to represent him.
Chuks Okocha and Adibe Emenyonu
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