September 16, (THEWILL) – The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, has said the failure of political parties and their candidates to sign the Peace Accord to shun electoral violence sends a wrong signal to Nigerians, noting that the National Peace Committee (NPC) peace pact is a moral obligation which cannot be forced on any political party.
Bishop Kukah made the remarks amid the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, to sign the peace pact.
THEWILL had reported that only 16 political parties and their candidates in the governorship election in Edo State, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP), signed the peace accord last week as the PDP withheld its signature over alleged bias levelled against the police.
Speaking on Sunday, at the Edo Election Security Town Hall meeting in Benin City, Kukah, one of the conveners of the NPC, led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said the Committee lacked the authority to force any political party to sign the peace pact which has become an electoral ritual in Nigeria.
“The National Peace Committee, what we do is not in the Electoral Act, it’s not law; it’s moral. You can’t compel people to fall in love or love their neighbour.
“If you go back to the 2015 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the PDP, was not there to sign the Peace Accord. And of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign.
“What is also very interesting is that the current President, when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign; it wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it.
“It’s a pity but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the Peace Accord. The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal which can be very easily exploited by the opposition,” he said.
The National Peace Committee (NPC), led by former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, said it was under immense pressure to persuade the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to either halt the collation of results or cancel the 2023 presidential election.
The NPC had earlier in August reiterated that it provides only a moral intervention, and has no constitutional duty to arrest, punish or prosecute any citizen for any wrongdoing.
Speaking during the public presentation of its 106-page report on the 2023 General Elections, titled ‘Nigeria’s Pursuit of Electoral Compliance: National Peace Committee (NPC) 2023 General Elections Report’, Abubakar emphasised: “The interventions provided by the NPC are purely and squarely moral, particularly in a context that trust deficit is widespread, the culture of impunity and lack of compliance with laws.
“The mandate is founded on the need to promote peace, prevent widespread violence and encourage parties and candidates to uphold the rule of law.
“The NPC has no mandate to arrest violators of process or interfere with the constitutional duties of INEC. It is set up to provide moral intervention, defined by mediation and moral persuasion to ensure that there is peace.
“It is also expected to, on behalf of public interest, speak truth to power when things are going terribly wrong. After the presidential elections, the NPC has continued with its engagements with political parties, youth and women-led groups, persons with disabilities, security agencies, traditional rulers and religious leaders, including the Independent State-based Peace Architectures.
“Most people are not aware that the NPC provides only a moral intervention, and it has no constitutional duty to arrest, punish or prosecute any citizen for any wrongdoing.
“Rather, the Committee has the moral obligation to encourage, persuade and appeal to political actors, community leaders and other stakeholders on the importance of peace.
“This limited awareness has forced some Nigerians to question the significance of engaging with the NPC if only what the committee brings to the table is moral persuasion. This is a challenge for the work of the Committee.”
