Now that the Peace Accord has been Signed
The peace accord is an official agreement to come to peace or end a conflict.
In Nigeria, this is an agreement by the parties contesting in the General Elections to run a peaceful campaign that is based on issues facing the country at all level of government.
The Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari who is also the candidate of the ruling party, APC, was the first to sign the accord after which the candidate of the main opposition party, PDP, Abubakar Atiku also signed the accord followed by the presidential candidate of ACPN, Oby Ezekwesili.
Now that they have signed the document it is important to note that signing a Peace Accord is good but preparing for a general election in Nigeria need more than just pen on papers. It goes beyond press conference before signing and after signing the accord.
This is the 6th consecutive general elections we will be having in Nigeria in the Fourth Republic and within this period there have been 2 handing overs which one is to the opposition party. This means that we can have a successful election and handing over in Nigeria without violence.
The 2 prominent candidates contesting for the 2019 presidential election, President Buhari and former Vice President, Atiku should also take time to sensitize their followers of the need for unity during this forthcoming election.
They should caution their supporters against tribal profiling, religious incitement, bigotry of any form and hate speech. It is time candidates start working on a better Nigeria and not just focused on their will to grab or retain power.
It is time we have to forgo the ‘Do or Die’ mentality that some of our politicians have. There should be consequences for person or persons that engaged in dividing the masses just for their personal gain.
It is time we put Nigeria and Nigerians first while playing politics after all a unified Nigeria is easier to rule than the divided one.
Candidates should be urged to preach peace and unity not just at campaign rallies but even closed door meetings.