Six out of eight political parties expected to participate in the Ebonyi South Senatorial bye-election billed for Saturday, this week, have signed a peace agreement, expressing their readiness for a peaceful and orderly conduct of the election.
They are, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Action Peoples Party, APP, African Democratic Congress, ADC and the Labour Party, LP. Others were; the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC; while the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP and the Social Democratic Party, SDP shunned the exercise.
Addressing stakeholders party representatives at the state collation centre, INEC Headquarters in Abakaliki venue for the exercise, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Mrs. Pauline Ugochi said that in the build up of the election, the Commission has convened series of meetings where stakeholders were briefed on the level of preparedness for the bye- election.
“In the build up of the Ebonyi South Senatorial bye-election that comes up this Saturday, we have had series of meetings where we had always briefed stakeholders on the level of our preparedness for the conduct of the election,” she explained.
Mrs Ugochi called on voters in the five local government areas where the election will hold, to come out en mass and vote for the candidate of their choice, adding that the signing of the peace accord would checkmate thuggery and violence, in all the polling units.
She further called on security agencies in the state to show the highest level of patriotism, discipline and responsibility, while on their election duties.
Peace agreement
The Resident Electoral Commissioner urged the political parties and their candidates, to adhere strictly to the content of the peace agreement, to ensure that voting was orderly and successful.
INEC’s Supervisory National Commissioner, Mr. Kenneth Ukeagu said that the Commission is poised to conduct free, fair and credible election, and assured that the electoral umpire would be impartial in the conduct of the election.
Mr. Ukeagu noted that INEC has put up efforts to ensure a hitch free election at the weekend and called on politicians to shun thuggery and other forms of electoral offenses.
His words: “the Commission has done everything possible to ensure that the iNECbye-election holding this weekend across the nation, is peaceful and credible. So I call on the electorate to do their part, in helping us to achieve positive results.”
The signing of the peace accord was witnessed by representatives of some federal establishments in the state, including; the National Orientation Agency, NOA, the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS,
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the Police and other security agencies in the state.
Lateefah Ibrahim
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