Goodluck Jonathan, a former president of Nigeria, has urged all presidential contenders and political party leaders to respect Nigerians’ right to vote by conceding defeat if they do not win.
This was said by Mr. Jonathan during the signing of the third peace accord on Wednesday in Abuja, which was attended by all party leaders and their presidential candidates.
This is the time, according to Mr. Jonathan, who was represented by Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, for the candidates and party leaders to show goodwill.
“Our country needs a stable and reliable democracy to be able to adequately address its challenges and provide the desired leadership that meets the expectations of our teeming populace. The world looks up to us to get our democracy right and become a force to be reckoned with in the leadership recruitment and governance process,” the former president explained.
He added, “We need peaceful elecions to give democracy a boost on the continent, especially in our sub-region where civil rule is threatened by a wave of unconstitutional change of government. I, therefore, call on all the presidential candidates, the party chairmen and members of all the political parties to please respect the voice of Nigerians and embrace the politics of peace.”
He recalled that in the build-up to the 2015 general elections, he and President Muhammadu Buhari signed a similar accord, committing themselves to be free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
In the second Peace Accord, we made it very clear that we would respect the results of the votes. I thought that was the best way to advance our democracy, avert impending violence, and pacify our country,” declared Mr. Jonathan. Given the high levels of anxiety and tension that have been felt in the lead-up to the elections, there is no better time to make this commitment than right now.
In addition to urging the police and other security agencies “not to compromise themselves in the course of carrying out their duties, now, during and after elections,” Mr. Jonathan urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do its best to ensure the elections were free, fair, and credible.
