Nigerian Presidential Candidates Sign Second Peace Treaty

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, signed a second peace pact for the upcoming Nigerian election on February 23, 2023 in the nation’s capital Abuja. Photo: Peter Obi/Twitter.

On Wednesday, all 18 presidential candidates came together to sign the second peace pact for Nigeria’s upcoming election to succeed the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari. The signing event for the peace pact was held in the nation’s capital, Abuja. The chair of the National Accord for Peace, Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former head of state, hosted the event.

The peace pact was drafted by the National Accord for Peace to prevent any violence that may arise at the polls Feb. 25. The pact ensures that all political parties accept the outcome of the election and may only contest the results through official civil procedures. It also affirmed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INCE) is the only organization that has the constitutional authority to announce the election.

Along with the presidential candidates, members from the African Union, European Union and the Commonwealth, and other diplomats were present at the signing.

The original peace accord was signed five months earlier on Sept. 29, 2022, in Abuja. Abubakar pushed the signing of another peace pact after because he observed numerous violations to the original.

“​​There was a lack of compliance by the major political parties. 44 percent  of the violations were carried out by spokespersons of the political parties and 26 percent  by party members. 19 percent of the violations were carried out by the presidential candidates themselves,” said Abubakar at the event.

According to the INCE, in January, there were multiple instances of violence, including 15 abductions and 30 killings as a result of the violations of the previous treaties. Along with this, presidential campaign rallies incited six acts of violence, making the original pact unsuccessful.

Abubakar went further to say that each political party should not only refrain from any violence but they should also send the same message to their followers to ensure a peaceful polling process. 

All 18 presidential candidates at the National Accord for Peace in Abuja. They were photographed along with others from the political parties they each represented on Feb. 23. Photo: Peter Obi / Twitter.

During the signing convention in Abuja, the polls were being set up in Lagos in preparation for Saturday's election. Most rallies in the area stopped to clear paths to the polls. 

Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, has been working to increase voter turnout. The country's median age right now is 18, making about 40 percent of the 93 million registered voters under 35. The younger generation is eager for change with the nation being in a cash crisis with underfunded public services, due to immense debt under the current administration's eight-year reign. The next president will have to take on the task of fixing the large economic problems the country faces.

According to the INEC, the 2019 election yielded a 35 percent voter turnout from the 82 million registered voters. This time around more than 9.5 million new registered voters have been added to the pool.

A poll commissioned by Nigerian Civil Society Group the Anap Foundation found that 82 percent of the voters under 35 years old said they would definitely vote this year. All presidential candidates held rigorous campaigns and rallies in hopes to make sure the 2023 election is different. 

Many are stating that the election will be too close to call making this year’s election high-stakes for many of the candidates. Because of the dire state of Nigeria's economy at the moment, many citizens are invested in the election, leading to outbursts of violence over the past two years. Abubakar said he hopes that the new peace treaty will allow as many registered voters as possible to cast their votes.