Ahead of the presidential election scheduled for Saturday, President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday signed the second peace accord.
Buhari is the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, while Atiku is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Candidates of the other political parties vying for the post of the president also joined in the exercise held in Abuja.
The initiative is that of the National Peace Committee headed by former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Speaking at the occasion, Buhari who expressed support for a free and fair election, said the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the security agencies had promised to ensure peaceful conduct of the election.
He appealed to youths not to allow themselves to be used to cause havoc during and after the exercise.
He called on Nigerians to pray for the country over the election, stressing that the interest of the country should be paramount.
While borrowing from the words of former President Goodluck Jonathan that his ambition was not worth the blood of an Nigerian, Atiku in his statement called on security agencies and INEC to ensure that the elections were free and fair.
He told Buhari that the votes of every Nigerian should be made to count in the presidential election and the others.
“We must abide by the will of the people,” he said.
Present at the occasion among others were former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd); INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu; Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah, and Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland.
In her message at the occasion, Scotland appealed to all the parties to ensure peaceful, free, fair, and credible election in the country.
