Can there be anything wrong in the peace accord signed on Wednesday January 14, 2015 in Abuja, by the fourteen presidential candidates contesting in the February 14, 2015 presidential election in Nigeria.
As far as one is concerned, the peace pact would atleast assuage to a reasonable extent any form of violent moves before, during and after the February elections.
But I wonder why the coalition of civil society groups, under the aegis of No Campaign Nigeria, suggested that the peace bond entittled "Abuja Declaration Accord", was unnecessary.
The group did not stop at that, as it maintained that it does not supersede the constitution and laws of the country, which included, the Electoral Offences Act, which stipulates punitive measures for breach of peace in elections.
Specifically, Convener of the group, Ezenwa Nwagwu posited that, "A ceremony of signing peace accord in Abuja can never take over the existing laws of this country. Our laws are very clear on hate speeches.
"We have laws called Electoral Offences. So, a ceremony where people sign a peace pact can not make the law work.
"Anybody who breaches the law should be made to face the wrath of the law. I don’t think an accord can settle that. An accord can not settle the fact that someone’s house was burnt.
"When someone’s house is burnt, that is arson according to our law and it has its own punitive measures. If someone is beaten mercilessly, that is battery and assault, and our laws have punitive measures for this crime.
"For the fact that an accord has been signed does not mean people should go about misbehaving."
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