8th November 2024
By Idris Buba
Ahead of the 16th November governorship election, political parties and candidates in Ondo State, on Friday, signed a peace accord to be of good conduct and ensure a violence free process.
The event which was organised by the National Peace Committee, headed by former Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar, took place at the International Culture and Event Centre in Akure, the state capital.
Some of the parties present at the signing of the peace accord include the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, Action Democratic Party, and Zenith Labour Party, among others.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, urged the candidates and their parties to commit to a peaceful election.
“Over the last four days, I have engaged with our own officials, security agencies, and transport service providers here in Ondo State to assess our readiness and perfect our arrangements for the movement of over 17,000 ad hoc and regular officials as well as large quantities of materials to 4,154 voting and collation locations (3,933 polling units, 203 Ward and 18 LGA collation centres).
READ MORE; INEC presents certificates of return to Edo state governor elect.
Also speaking, the Inspector General of Police, who represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sylvester Abiodun, said over 35,000 officers have been deployed to secure all 18 LGAs
to be supplemented by officers from other security agencies, totalling 43,157 personnel.
For his remarks, the chairman NPC, Abdulsalam Abubakar, urged politicians and their supporters to fully comply to the letter and spirit of the accord.
“Shun violence and intimidation, and remember that as politicians, you must demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship, as that is a key trait of good leadership,” he said.
Governor of Ondo State and the APC governorship candidate, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who spoke behalf of the candidates, promised to abide by the laws and regulations guiding the election process and urged other parties to follow suit.
