APC says Atiku deliberately missed peace accord signing

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, deliberately missed the peace accord signing ceremony.

All political parties and presidential candidates were expected to sign a peace accord to ensure peace during the conduct of the 2019 general elections at a ceremony on Tuesday, December 11, 2018.

The PDP presidential candidate and some other presidential aspirants were absent at the event.

However, Atiku and his party, the PDP issued separate statement blaming his absenceon communication lapses.

Face saving move

The PDP presidential candidate, on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, signed the peace accord and pledged his commitment to peaceful elections.

According to Vanguard, the spokesman of the ruling APC, Lanre Issa-Onilu said “Atiku’s eventual decision to sign the peace deal is clearly a face-saving move following widespread condemnation that greeted his initial refusal to agree to the peace deal. We, however, must not lose sight of the dangerous and ominous signs the PDP and Atiku have inadvertently shown Nigerians in the leadup to the elections.

“Again, this brings to the fore, PDP’s open declaration in August this year that the Party will deploy all “means, schemes, shenanigans in all ramification and magnitude” to manipulate the 2019 election.

“The APC reiterates that security and other relevant agencies must be on high alert to check this dangerous threat posed by the PDP’s planned actions for the general elections. In 2019 and beyond, the votes of the electorate must count and the will of the electorate must prevail. We must stand against and resist plans by retrogressive elements who are now nested in the PDP and their agents to disrupt elections through violence and other undemocratic practices.

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“For signing the 2019 election national peace accord, the Party affirms the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari led APC government to a free and fair electoral process. The APC government has an abiding pledge towards a participatory, peaceful, credible and transparent elections”.

In a related development, the chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondushas also accused the APC of working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police Force to destabilise states controlled by its party.