*Name Edo, Benue, FCT, Oyo as flash points
The National Peace Committee (NPC) has expressed worry over threats to violence as Nigeria goes into the 2027 general elections calling on the Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to punish identified violators of electoral peace accords.
Speaking in Abuja on Friday at a Dialogue Session with Media Executives on the Compliance with the National Peace Accord, Executive Director of the Kukah Centre, Rev Fr Attah Barkindo said such a punishment would deter other politicians from indulging anti-election activities.
Barkindo who announced that he was representing the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and other members of the Committee said the NPC has no constitutional powers to enforce electoral peace.
He lamented that the NPC had in the past compiled names of politicians who violated peace accords signed by their political parties and handed same over to the police and INEC but no punishment was meted out to the politicians.
The Dialogue was jointly organized by the International Press Centre (IPC), the Kukah Centre and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) with funding by the European Union.
Fr Barkindo reminded Nigerians that the NPC has no power to enforce the peace accords signed by politicians and regretted that the public was expecting the Committee to enforce such compliance.
“Our biggest worry at the Peace Committee is that people believe that the matter of peaceful election is the business of the NPC.
“We consistently explain that we don’t have the constitutional power to enforce peace, ours is moral persuasion. We have assembled you (journalists) here to let you know that this business of peace accord is a collective responsibility. It is not just the business of the NPC.
“We hand over data we collect to police and INEC who are paid by tax payers’ money. They don’t do anything but people come after the NPC all the time,” he stated.
He recalled that the NPC was set up as an ad-hoc body in the build up to the 2015 general election to minimize personal attacks by the camps of the two major political parties then to reduce tension.
“It was Buhari that said, the work you have done was so important, you should remain. That was how the NPC became a permanent body,” he recalled.
“We want the media to help make politicians accountable for their conducts. In your newsrooms, in your articles, in your opinion write ups, in your interviews with politicians, bring up the issue of peace accord up.
“How can we make the peace accord more relevant so that we can achieve the purpose of setting up the NPC.”? He asked.
Presenting findings on the political activities so far, Fatai Yusuf recalled that the National Peace Accord for the federal elections was signed on 18/8/20266 while actual campaign officially began on 19/8/26 for presidential and National Assembly elections.
He also recalled that on 9/9/20266, campaign for governorship and state house of Assembly elections began but lamented that already, 192 electoral violations have been recorded.
“For the past ten weeks, we have been monitoring what have been going on in the political space and issues have been coming which we need to pay attention to.
“Political activities remain exposed; even attacks and obstruction of campaigns even at the ward level, people are being attacked.
“Information integrity is under pressure; we have seen use of fake news and disinformation going on. We have recorded 192 breaches of the Peace Accord and the Electoral Act.
“We have recorded cases of political violence and thuggery. We have seen violent cases. I give you an example like Oyo state in Accord Party versus APM,” he said.
Yusuf also mentioned Kaduna, Edo, Enugu, Oyo Cross River States as well as the FCT as flash points on violation of the peace accord so far.
The Executive Director, IPC, Dr Lanre Arogundade spoke on “The Media as a Partner for Electoral Peace and Accountability while Dr Akin Akingbulu, Executive Director, CEMESO coordinated a discussion on “Holding the Peace: A Multi-Platform Media.”
