Nigeria's two main presidential hopefuls on Wednesday appealed for non-violence at this weekend's elections and vowed to accept the result.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar joined other candidates to sign a "peace accord", in front of foreign observers, including Commonwealth head Patricia Scotland.

The signatories called on their supporters "to refrain from violence or any acts that may in any way jeopardise our collective vision of a free, fair and credible election".

"We also pledge to respect the outcome of free, fair and credible elections," they added.

Some 84 million people are registered to vote on Saturday in presidential and parliamentary elections. Polling for new state governors and state assembly members is on March 2.

Buhari came to power in 2015 as the first opposition candidate to defeat a sitting president. In another first, his opponent, Goodluck Jonathan, also conceded defeat.

The head of state said this year's vote was another landmark, with more women and young people, and a record 91 parties and more than 70 presidential candidates.

But he called for greater engagement in politics to help address pressing issues in Africa's most populous nation.

"Elections by themselves do not constitute democracy," said Buhari, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party.

"It is the spirit of citizenship engagement that utilises the energy of citizens towards the attainment of good governance."

Abubakar, a former vice-president representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), called on the election commission and security agencies to be neutral.

Claims that Buhari and the APC is looking to rig the result has been a feature of the PDP campaign, as has reminding voters of Buhari's past as a former military ruler.

He said in a speech that "General Buhari" needed to ensure that "every eligible person who casts their vote is confident in the process and in the belief that their vote will count".

Buhari, who he has accused of "dictatorship", also needed to "abide by the will of the people as freely expressed through elections, under the terms of our constitution", he added.

This year's ceremony was organised by former military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar and his National Peace Committee, and backed by the Kofi Annan Foundation.

Former US president Bill Clinton was invited but decided not to travel to Abuja because his presence had "the potential to be politicised", his spokesman, Angel Urena said.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

C.Africa peace deal calls for truth commission, joint patrols
Libreville (AFP) Feb 8, 2019
The Central African Republic will shortly set up a truth and reconciliation commission to shed light on its violent past, under a peace deal signed by the country's beleaguered government and militia groups. The accord, agreed in Khartoum by the CAR and 14 militia groups who control most of the country, has boosted hopes of an end to a long and bloody conflict in one of the world's most troubled states. But the deal has been shadowed by doubts about what it actually contains - details have been ... read more