Utibe Ekoson
Eighteen political parties vying for elective positions in next year’s general election, recently, signed an agreement for peaceful conduct before, during, and after the polls, with the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, conspicuously absent.The peace accord was put together by the National Peace Committee (NPC), co-led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’adu Abubakar the third ; Cardinal John Onayeikan; Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah, and other eminent statesmen. National Peace Committee is a non-governmental initiative conceptualized in 2014 with the objective of supporting free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.All chairmen and presidential candidates of the 18 registered political parties signed the peace accord under the guidance of officials of the NPC at a ceremony witnessed by a large audience at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.Seventeen presidential candidates personally signed the agreement along with the national chairmen of their parties, apart from Tinubu, who was represented by his running mate, Kashim Shettima.But a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Ayo Oyalowo yesterday explained that Tinubu did not attend the peace accord signing because he was resting in London. He said the presidential candidate was not taking Nigerians for granted and while others are free to be running around the field, that Tinubu was clearly the big masquerade who would come out last.
