North’s monarchs to politicians: honour peace accord

The Northern Traditional Rulers Council Assembly (NTRCA) has urged politicians at all levels to honour the peace accord they signed for the 2019 general elections.

They decried the rising level of hate speeches, bickering, do-or-die political campaigns, vote-buying and money politics.

According to the monarchs, honouring the accord will reciprocate President Muhammadu Buhari’s pledge to ensure free, fair and credible elections for continued peace and unity of the country.

The call was made in a communique issued in Sokoto yesterday at the end of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Fifth General Assembly.

Coordinating Committee Chairman and Emir of Gummi Justice Lawal Hassan signed the communique.

The traditional rulers’ resolution described the election year as crucial, warning that all over the world, people would be watching Nigeria, being the country with the highest population in Africa.

They commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its preparations and pledged to assist the electoral body in every way possible to achieve the desired goals.

The council appealed to the executive and legislative arms of government to ensure adequate funding and other relevant arrangement and support towards the successful conduct of the elections.

The monarchs decried the rising level of hate speeches, bickering, do-or-die political campaigns, vote buying and money politics, noting that it was sad and unfortunate to use innocent youths as political thugs.

They appealed to parents to always monitor their wards and also urged politicians to change tactics and honor decorum, to avoid serious consequences of their electoral misconduct.

The assembly noted that cases of kidnappings, banditry, insurgency, farmers/herder clashes and other forms of crimes might affect the successful conduct of the general elections.

They called on the Federal Government to continue doing everything possible to curtail the menace and provide enough grazing reserves and livestock routes, while states should support peaceful moves on the development.

They further lauded President Buhari’s efforts to diversify the nation’s economy, poverty alleviation and fight against unemployment.

They assured of frequent consultations to encourage good ideas towards promoting mutual understanding among citizens and national integration.

The event featured a lecture with the topic: “Pervasive Insecurity in an Election Year”, which was discussed by different personalities.

The event was attended by Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and three representatives from traditional councils of 19 states.

Other participants included INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, who led five other INEC Commissioners and Chairman of Presidential Advisory Committee on Elimination of Drug Abuse.