Date: 2019-01-18

Leaders of 25 out of the 57 registered political parties in Kwara State on Thursday signed a peace accord with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

A faction of the All Progressives Congress was barred from the meeting.

The peace meeting, which was part of efforts to ensure hitch-free polls, was held at the state headquarters of INEC in the Adewole area of Ilorin.

Our correspondent gathered that the peace meeting was to ensure the stoppage of political violence.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mallam Attahiru Madami, expressed worry that Kwara State was being turned into a state of violence.

"The Independent National Electoral Commission is in existence as a result of political parties. No INEC without political parties, and I urge all political parties to talk to their supporters to follow rules and regulations of the game. We should desist from campaign of calumny," he said.

Madami assured the parties that INEC would conduct free, fair, transparent and credible elections, adding that all parties in the polls would be given a level playing field.

Madami, who said a total number of’ 1,100,600 permanent voter cards had so far been distributed, said 1,406,600 voters registered for the polls in the state.

He noted further that 11,992 adoc staff had been recruited for the polls in the state.

He urged the people of the state to cooperate with the INEC to ensure free and fair polls.

The state Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council, Alhaji Abdulkarim Onagun, assured INEC of good conduct of the parties.

It was observed that Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, Chairman of the court-recognised faction of the APC was not present at the event.

The APC faction said the absence of Fulani from the meeting was because he was not invited.

The faction, in a statement by its state Publicity Secretary, Dr Dele Kayode, said Bashir Bolarinwa's faction was invited to sign the peace pact because its members were the ones causing mayhem in the state.

The statement read in part, "Balogun-Fulani was not at INEC office, Ilorin, as claimed by the Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa's faction.

"That the Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa's faction was allowed to sign the peace pact was because they were the one causing mayhem. If INEC refused to recognise Balogun-Fulani led APC, it would tantamount to disobeying court judgment."

Apart from the APC, other political parties in attendance at the peace meeting included the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, Kowa Party, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party and Accord Party.