Fourteen political parties among 17 political parties in Kwara state on Wednesday signed a peace accord document ahead of the forthcoming 2023 general election.

It was gathered that three out of the 17 political parties in the state African Action Congress, (AAC) Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) did not field candidates and thus were absent at the event.

The signing of the peace accord, held at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ilorin, was witnessed by representatives of security agencies, international and local election observers, as well as media practitioners.

Speaking at the event, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mallam Garba Attahiru Madami, described voluntary signing of the peace accord by the political parties as a good development.

While he urged the political parties to abide by the content of the document, Mallam Attahiru Madami assured all stakeholders of INEC’s readiness to deliver the best election in the state and the country in general.

Also speaking, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG in charge of Zone 8, Adekunle Ashafa, thanked leadership of the political parties for their commitment towards ensuring peaceful conduct of the election.

In his comment, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Paul Odama, said that the security agencies would ensure adequate security before, during and after the elections.

Also speaking, Kwara state coordinator, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Olusegun Adeyemi, urged residents of the state to reciprocate efforts of the INEC by playing their role in the democratic process.

In his speech on behalf of the political parties, the Kwara state deputy chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Mr. Shina Ajisafe, said that the political parties would ensure strict adherence to the peace accord document signed at the event.