All 10 political parties contesting in the November 1 Niger State Local Government council elections have signed a peace accord treaty, as all stakeholders are present to witness the event.

According to The Nation, the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission has begun the distribution of sensitive materials to the local government areas for timely arrival.

The Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, during the Peace Accord meeting comprising various political parties, said that the gathering was aimed at fostering maturity, responsibility and collective commitment to peace by all the stakeholders.

He added that the peace accord spelt out the terms and conditions to ensure the conduct of a free, fair and credible electioneering process, adding that the Police Command and other security agencies, in partnership with NSIEC, have made comprehensive arrangements to provide a secure and peaceful environment for the election.

The Police Commissioner charged youths and supporters of each political party to be ambassadors of peace and stay away from activities aimed at electoral violence or possibly disrupt the electoral process.

He further assured all the stakeholders that the command is willing to exhibit all professionalism, neutrality and provide security coverage before, during and after the election process.

He enjoined all participants to take the peace accord signing process seriously and abide by its provisions as it’s an oath.

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The IPAC Chairman commended NSIEC for giving ample time of six months to make necessary preparations and also appreciated key stakeholders, stating that the election process in the state has been peaceful so far.

During the flag-off of the distribution of the sensitive materials, the NISEC Chairman, Engineer Mohammed Jubril Imam, said that all political parties have been cooperative so far, pointing out that any act of violence during the election will have consequences for those who perpetrate it.

He said that it would be a manual accreditation system and not an electronic accreditation, calling for cooperation from everyone, both the electorate and the political parties.

Imam pointed out that the election should be seen as a contest of ideas and not a battlefield, during that the NSIEC will conduct an election that will stand the test of integrity and reflect the will of the people.

He further said that over 5,000 ad-hoc staff would be on the ground to conduct the election across all the wards in the state, adding that measures have been put in place to move staff across riverine areas and security-affected areas.