Buhari and Goodluck Signs Free & Fair Polls Undertaking

President Goodluck Jonathan, former Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (ret) and 12 other presidential candidates, yesterday, signed an undertaking to ensure free and fair polls as well as run issue-based campaigns for the forthcoming general elections in the country.

President Jonathan is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Buhari is contesting on the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

They gave the assurance during a sensitisation workshop themed: “2015 General Elections: Sensitization workshop on Non-Violence”. Jonathan and Buhari put aside their electoral fisticuffs and embraced excitedly upon arriving for the workshop.

GMB and GEJ

President Jonathan and Buhari had been engaged in bitter electoral battle in a bid to win the February 14 presidential polls.

Apart from the duo, the chairmen of the two dominant parties, Alhaji Adamu Mu’ azu, PDP, and Odigie Oyegun, APC, also hugged themselves in a bid to send a signal to their supporters that violence is not part of democracy.

OYEGUN and MU'AZU

This came as all the 14 presidential candidates of the various parties contesting the election also signed a peace agreement to ensure free, fair and credible polls.

The Accord
The accord read: “We the undersigned presidential candidates of the under-listed political parties contesting in the general elections of 2015; desirous of taking proactive measures to prevent electoral violence before, during and after the elections; anxious about the maintenance of a peaceful environment for the 2015 general elections; reaffirming our commitment to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; desirous of sustaining and promoting the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity; determined to avoid any conduct or behaviour that will endanger the political stability and national security of Nigeria; determined to place national interest above personal and partisan concerns; and reaffirm our commitment to fully abide by all rules and regulations as laid down in the legal framework for elections in Nigeria, hereby commit ourselves and our party to the following:

*To run issue-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels; in this, we pledge to refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitement, ethnic or tribal profiling; both ourselves and agents acting in our names.

*To refrain from making, or causing to make our names or that of our party, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections.

*To commit ourselves and political parties to the monitoring of the adherence to this accord by a national peace committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders.

*All institutions of government including INEC and security agencies must act and be seen to act with impartiality and to forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence whether perpetrated by our supporters and/or opponents.”