GUARDIAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Sir: Each time elections are to be conducted in Nigeria, the major contestants are brought together to sign what is called Peace Accord. According to its terms, the Accord is supposed to prevail on all those in the race to eschew violence in any form, to play a fair game and also to accept the outcome of the results as declared by the umpire in good faith.
However, it’s doubtful if the so-called Peace Accord has ever achieved anything tangible and it’s appearing as just a normal routine observed to fulfill all righteousness. Because if it were to be truly effective, its impacts should be felt through a peaceful conduct of elections devoid of intimidation of the electorates or manipulation of the election results.
But has this always been the case? The answer is Capital No. So what in essence is the relevance of the Peace Accord? Is it not a sheer waste of time? If it is to make any remarkable impact it should include disqualification for any of the candidates whose members are found to breach the terms of the Accord by engaging in conducts capable of frustrating or intimidating the electorates.
