To forestall violence during and after the elections, political parties and their candidates in Delta state have signed a peace accord to be of good behaviour in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
The peace accord was organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in collaboration with Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) and other non-governmental organizations in the state.
INEC resident electoral commissioner in Delta state, Rev. Monday Udoh Tom said INEC assembled the political parties and their candidates to make a commitment to play by the rules, owing to the belief that violence is one of the factors that have militated against credible elections in Nigeria.
He said in addition to what the peace accord is expected to usher in, the BVAS will also give a boost to the credibility of the 2023 elections.
In an interview with journalists, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, the executive director of CEPEJ said other peace-oriented organisations such as CEPEJ admonished political parties to shun vote buying and advice their followers to play by the rules of the game.
He said the political parties are ready for the peace accord, saying they are ready to support INEC to actualize a peaceful election devoid of violence.
Mulade said as a peace advocate with his organization championing peace in the Niger Delta, he deemed it fit to collaborate with INEC to actualize peace during the elections.
He said the peace accord is not peculiar to only Delta State but it is signed across the nation.
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