CSO Asks Peace Committee To Address Issues Of Election Petitions In Court

A civil society organisation (CSO), Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy, has called out the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee (NPC) for reneging on its responsibility to sustain peace and ensure a successful electoral process post 2023 general election.

According to the organisation, it is worrisome that in spite of the plethora of election petitions and likely outcomes that could follow the decisions, the National Peace Committee has kept mum on the post-election cases

In a statement yesterday by its chairman, Ifeanyi Okechukwu, the Centre urged the peace committee to beam its light on the judiciary and insist that the right thing must be done in line with the peace accord it got the candidates to sign before the elections.

Okechukwu stated: “It is public knowledge that the National Peace Committee led by His Excellency General Abdulsalami Abubakar had prior to the 2023 Election engaged political leaders on the need for a peaceful and credible election. This led to the signing of a second national peace accord, a promise to ensure peaceful polls, and a pledge to accept the outcome of the elections. The still pictures and video of the event adorn several platforms on the internet.

“Regrettably, what is missing is a post-election formal statement of the National Peace Committee on the outcome of the election. In actual fact, only the Chairman had made personal statements which were ascribed to the National Peace Committee. The first of such statements by the Chairman was after he voted, and the second statement was after the declaration of the result. 

“It is, thus, surprising that there is yet to be any informed formal statement of the group on the election. It is a historic fact that elections hardly end with the declaration by the electoral body after voting. This is because almost always the last and final announcement is from the judiciary.

“Expectedly, the 2023 election has not been different. Presently, all major political parties are contesting the outcome of the elections. Without a doubt, the top of the engagements is the Presidential Election Petitions. Next in the echelon are several governorship petitions that are dotted across Nigeria.

“It is, however, disturbing that despite the avalanche of election petitions and likely far-reaching outcomes that could follow the decisions; the National Peace Committee has been quiet.”

Noting that the electoral process has three stages, the group noted that the peace committee failed in following up the litigation stage which it said is very crucial to the final outcome.

“It is our considered view that the National Peace Committee has failed in a very crucial area concerning the elections. The failure to issue a statement on the role of the judiciary and what Nigeria expects from the judiciary is an inglorious statement on the process of election in Nigeria.

“Without a doubt, elections have three clear steps in Nigeria, and they are primary elections, general elections, and litigation on the elections. Of the three, the last is the most decisive”.

Asking the committee to live up to its responsibility, the Centre said, “Accordingly, we call on the National Peace Committee to quickly address this gap in its engagements. It must be stressed that every Nigerian is looking up to the judiciary. What it means is that the National Peace Committee must be alert to its responsibilities. 

“In other words, we are calling on the group to effectively focus its bright lights on the Judiciary because its actions or inactions can undermine the atmosphere of peace and stability that has been engendered by political actors keeping to the terms of the peace accord they signed before the elections.”