Bayelsa guber poll: Diri, Sylva, others sign peace accord

<p>Ahead of the November 11 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State, political parties and their governorship candidates, on Wednesday, signed a peace accord pledging to ensure a peaceful and violence free election.</p>, <p>The Bayelsa State Governor and Flagbearer of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the candidate of All Progressives Congress,APC, and fourteen others attended tge ceremony at Lady Diama Memorial event centre, Yenagoa, the state capital.</p>, <p>The event was facilitated by the National Peace Committee, in conjunction with Kukah Centre.</p>, <p>The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, who presided over the peace forum, enjoined the people of the state to imbibe a tolerant disposition during the poll to engender a peaceful and credible exercise.</p>, <p>Kukah, who represented the National Chairman of the National Peace Committee, NPC, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, said: “I want to enjoin you and call upon you to please ensure that we all imbibe the spirit that only the living can participate in politics, and enjoy the dividends of democracy.</p>, <p>“Our prayer and our hope is that this election will go on peacefully. I want to add my voice, vote to stay alive, vote to see a great Bayelsa and Nigeria.</p>, <p>“It will be a terrible tragedy for anybody to lose his life or to be hospitalized. Let’s conduct ourselves in a way and manner that will finally make the judiciary which has become the subject of law of litigation redundant. And the only way we can do this is to conduct free, fair and credible election.”</p>, <p>Meanwhile, indication that the peace accord may be violated emerged when the frontline gladiators, Douye and Sylva, spoke with journalists shortly after the ceremony.</p>, <p>Both candidates traded accusations and counter accusation of plots to undermine the peace accord.</p>, <p>Diri said: “Generally Nigerians are seeing this as an election ritual because a lot of politicians do not keep to it. So it is just a ritual, we come and sign and the bad politicians among us will