Parties sign peace agreement ahead of poll

chika ebuzor

December 2, 2016 8:39 PM

Owoseni warned candidates and their supporters against violence, and told trouble-makers to stay away from areas.

Voter during an election

Some political parties in Lagos State on Friday signed a peace agreement ahead of Saturday`s Federal House of Representatives by-election into Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency.

The parties signed the agreement in Lagos at a meeting with Mr Fatai Owoseni, the State`s Commissioner of Police and INEC officials.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the parties included APC, PDP, SDP and ADC, while AA and AD had no representatives.

”The main reason for this meeting is for stakeholders to have understanding on the need for a peaceful election; it is an opportunity for candidates to sign an undertaking for a peaceful exercise, ’’ Owoseni said.

He said that security officers drawn from the Police, Military, Civil Defence Corps and the Directorate of State Security (DSS) would be deployed to ensure the security of lives and properties during the election.

The police commissioner said that there would be restriction of movement in the constituency between 12 midnight on Friday and the period of the election.

Owoseni warned candidates and their supporters against violence, and told trouble-makers to stay away from areas where elections would be held.

”Political office holders are warned from moving freely with their security aides during the election. No vehicle is permitted to go close to any polling booth.

”The accreditation and voting will commence same time, anyone with observation should reach the officials and not to take laws into his hands.

“As candidates and leaders to be, you must be able to control your supporters and agents to be of good behaviour,” he said.

The INEC supervising officer for the South-West, Chief Shoyebi Adedeji, said that all sensitive materials had been distributed to all the wards in the state.

Adedeji said Lagos State was the least volatile state in the country, stressing that INEC was expecting to see this on Saturday.

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It would be recalled that the former representative of Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency, Mr Adewale Elijah, slumped and died in his house in Abuja in July.

chika ebuzor