Political parties and candidates participating in the November 1 local government elections in Niger State have signed a peace accord to ensure a smooth, credible, and violence-free exercise.
According to a statement issued by the Niger State Police Command’s spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, the peace accord marks another step in the command’s ongoing collaboration with electoral and political actors to guarantee credible elections across the state.
The event, convened by the Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, took place on Monday at the Police Officers’ Mess, Minna.
It was attended by key stakeholders including the Chairman, Niger State Independent Electoral Commission, Mohammed Imam; the Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council, Niger State Chapter, Isah Makujeri; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Affairs, Nma Kolo; representatives of security agencies, Area Commanders, and Divisional Police Officers.
Elleman said the meeting was convened “to foster maturity, responsibility, and collective commitment to peace by all stakeholders.”
He reiterated that the command, in partnership with NSIEC and other security agencies, had made “comprehensive arrangements to provide a secured and peaceful environment for the election.”
“The constitutional duty of the Police is to protect, not intimidate,” Elleman stated, assuring all that the command would “exhibit professionalism, neutrality, and provide security coverage before, during, and after the election process.”
He also urged youths and political supporters “to be ambassadors of peace by refraining from being used as tools for electoral violence or disruption.”
In his remarks, NSIEC Chairman, Imam, commended the cooperation of all political actors, noting that “a fifteen-point agenda was developed which contains guidelines for the election process aimed at producing 25 local government chairmen and 274 councillors from 4,950 polling units in 274 wards across the 25 LGAs.”
He enjoined participants to “take the peace accord signing process seriously and abide by its provisions as it’s an oath,” adding that adequate measures have been put in place by the Commission and security agencies to ensure fairness.
IPAC Chairman, Makujeri, praised NSIEC for providing “an ample time of six months to make necessary preparations,” describing the process as peaceful so far.
He said, “In line with the mandate of the Governor, it is expected that whosoever wins the election should be declared a winner to ensure a smooth and credible process.”
Makujeri also commended the Police for “the successful conduct of the Munya bye-election,” expressing hope that the coming LG polls “will be even more peaceful.”
During the session, the command’s Legal Officer, CSP Jude Thaddeus Akaeze, read out the peace accord, which includes provisions against religious sentiments, ethnic or tribal profiling, and inflammatory statements capable of inciting violence.
