Abdulsalami Urges Politicians to End Vote-Buying in Ondo State Election

Former military Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC), General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has called on politicians to stop the practice of vote-buying as the Ondo State governorship election approaches. Abdulsalami made the appeal during the signing of a Peace Accord by candidates from 17 political parties contesting in the November 16 election. The ceremony took place in Akure, the state capital, on Friday.

Addressing the political candidates, Abdulsalami urged them to accept the election results as long as they are deemed free, fair, and credible. He emphasized the importance of peaceful avenues for addressing grievances. “I urge all politicians who will sign the accord to fully commit themselves and their parties to the letter and spirit of the accord, to shun violence and intimidation,” Abdulsalami stated. He added, “As politicians, you must demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship, as that is a key trait of good leadership.”

Abdulsalami also highlighted the role of citizens in electing their leaders free from any form of inducement. “Political actors must also discontinue this menace of vote trading,” he said, emphasizing the need for transparent and ethical elections.

Commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its preparations, Abdulsalami urged the commission to ensure that every eligible voter can exercise their right peacefully. He also lauded the Nigeria Police Force and the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for maintaining peace and security in the state, stating, “I therefore urge them to remain resilient in averting any threats of violence and maintaining the peace in the state as we are only a few days away from the elections.”

INEC National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, also spoke at the event, acknowledging the committee’s efforts in promoting peaceful elections. He noted that since 2020, seven peace accords have been signed in off-cycle elections. Yakubu called on religious and traditional leaders, as well as security agencies, to collaborate with INEC to ensure peaceful elections. “To all political parties and candidates, signing of the Peace Accord alone will not guarantee peaceful elections. Peace accord is never ultimate but your commitment with implementation is crucial,” he remarked.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, represented by Deputy Inspector General of Police Sylvester Alabi, assured that adequate security measures would be in place for the election. “We are going to deploy five personnel to each of the polling units to protect the INEC materials, officials, and electorate during and after the election,” he stated.

Speaking on behalf of the governorship candidates, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised to abide by the terms of the Peace Accord and urged his co-contestants to do the same. “The state has been peaceful before now, especially during the campaign. I plead that they stay with the tenets of democracy. We will all abide by the tenet of the peaceful accord,” Aiyedatiwa said, emphasizing that while elections come and go, the state and its peace must be preserved.

The signing of the Peace Accord symbolizes a unified commitment to maintaining a peaceful and credible electoral process in Ondo State, with all eyes now focused on the conduct of the candidates and their supporters as election day nears.