By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos – Ahead of the October 9th local government elections in Plateau State, 12 Political Parties have signed a peace accord and promised they would cooperate with other stakeholders to ensure peace during and after the exercise.

The Parties, however, urged the electoral umpire, the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission, PLASIEC, to continue to demonstrate integrity and neutrality while carrying out its duties.

The signing of the Peace Accord was held in Jos on Thursday and was organized by the Plateau Peace Building Agency, PPBA, in collaboration with PLASIEC.

Addressing the stakeholders, the Director-General of PPBA, Julie Sanda, frowned at the use of inflammatory language during campaigns and warned that such was capable of truncating the peace in the State.

She said, “In some constituencies and some zones, we have observed instances of inflammatory statements and hate speech during campaigns; such divisive language not only threatens the integrity of the elections but also could undermine the peace we have worked hard to build in Plateau State. We must focus on issue-based campaigns that foster unity and progress, rather than resorting to language that can incite violence.”

She also called for transparency in the processes to build the people’s confidence saying, “The role of observers is critical to ensuring critical elections, and all efforts must be made to ensure fairness and inclusivity in the process. In some other areas, political mobilization has been increasing, driven by internal party dynamics. While healthy competition is a normal part of the election process, we must be mindful of the need to prevent any escalation into violence.

“Our collective goal should be to ensure that the elections are peaceful and that political competition remains within the bounds of mutual respect and non-violence. We remain committed to implementing proactive measures aimed at preventing violence at every stage of the election process. This includes promoting peace accords, facilitating dialogue, and ensuring that the process is transparent and accountable.”

Also, PLASIEC Chairman, Plangji Cishak, reiterated the commitment to transparency, saying, “Unlike previous elections where only one or two political parties participated, 11 parties are now contesting, which shows increased confidence in the process. The need for peace in an election must be taken seriously.”

On the state of readiness, he noted, “Since we released the notice of election, out of the 22 activities, we are done with 19 activities. . We are going to conduct a global standard election; PLASIEC has its software for identifying whether the person holding the PVC is the actual owner of the PVC. We have been able to demonstrate this last week in 640 units, and I can tell you that we are 95% guaranteed of the voter verification system.

“The Commission is training close to 21,000 Adhoc staff who will be deployed in the elections. By tomorrow, we should be done with that. We call on political parties and other critical stakeholders to give us the necessary support. It is high time that institutions such as PLASIEC uphold the institutions and make institutions bigger than those that occupy such institutions.”

The State Deputy Governor, Josephine Piyo, who was at the event, stressed the importance of the peace accord,d, emphasizing, “This signing serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of unity and dialogue in shaping a better future for all of us. Despite our political differences and diverse visions for the future of our state, we have chosen to prioritize peace above everything else.”

Earlier in a keynote address, retired Justice Daniel Longji charged every stakeholder to play the game by the rules and stressed the imperative for peaceful local government elections in the State.

His words, “Peace is paramount, and everyone knows the value of peace. There are peaceful methods of resolving disputes; there is no need for violence. Politicians must preach peace to their supporters and discourage the sponsorship of thuggery. Personal interest should never come at the expense of peace. Let us remember that peace is key to development.”

He further charged the Judiciary to stand upright and redeem its image if called in.
Meanwhile, the State Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Chris Hassan, who spoke on behalf of the Political Parties, commended the initiative and committed to peaceful conduct.