Sixteen governorship candidates in the November 8 Anambra election have signed a peace accord aimed at facilitating peace and mitigating electoral violence among political actors in the state.
The signing of the peace accord, led by the National Peace Committee (NPC), was held on Monday at the International Convention Centre in Awka, the state capital.
The event witnessed the gathering of political leaders, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organisations, and traditional rulers.
During his opening remarks, the NPC Chairman, Abdulsalem Abubakar, while giving his opening remarks, described the signing of the peace accord as a duty that calls for discipline, honour and responsibility.
Abubakar, represented by a statesman, Gen. Martin Agwai, noted that part of the responsibility of political leaders is to safeguard peace and ensure that no life is put at risk during and after the election.
Addressing the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and all security agencies, the Chairman appealed for “professionalism and impartiality”, noting that the “purpose for security is to protect and not to intimidate”.
Abubakar further called on the media to focus on reports that build and strengthen, rather than stir division.
In the same light, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, stressed the need for the candidates and supporters to genuinely commit to the provisions of the peace accord, beyond the signatures.
“Without peace, logistics will be disrupted, our personnel and materials put at risk, and ultimately, the credibility of the process undermined,” he said.
The chairman noted that the INEC, on its part, has taken deliberate steps to address operational challenges, including electoral logistics, thereby fine-tuning deployment arrangements for 24,000 personnel and election materials across 5,718 polling units, 326 ward collation centres and 21 local government collation centres of the state.
“The Commission has approved a final register of 2,802,790 eligible voters for the Anambra Governorship Election scheduled for Saturday, 8 November 2025.
“To facilitate maximum participation, we extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) until yesterday, Sunday, 2nd November 2025.
“Our mandate is to deliver credible elections, and we reaffirm our resolve to combat vote-buying.
“Any individuals or groups planning to subvert the will of the people will be firmly confronted within the strong hands of the law,” he added.
On security, the IGP, who was represented by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Benjamin Okolo of the Force Intelligence Unit, stressed the importance of political tolerance and respect for democratic values.
The IGP reaffirmed the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to provide adequate security for the election, reaffirming its stance on neutrality and professionalism in the discharge of its duties.
The police boss further announced the restriction of movement or the escort of political candidates by security operations on the day of the election.
He further warned against the oppression of miscreants or groups aiming to obstruct the peace and safety of the electoral process.
The highlight of the event featured the signing of the Peace Accord by the flag bearers of 16 political parties, with many of them seen exchanging pleasantries.
Giving his closing remarks, the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, emphasised the need for all candidates to shun violence and ensure that each electorate exercises their franchise without obstruction.
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