On Wednesday, a few political parties in Enugu State signed the Peace Accord in preparation for the state’s local government elections on September 21.

During a “Stakeholders’ Engagement on the Enugu State 2024 Local Government Elections” hosted by ActionAid Nigeria, the parties signed the peace agreement.

All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) rejected since the ruling party was not present at the signing, despite reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Congress (APC), and other parties were not there.

Speaking at the occasion, Andrew Mamedu, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, emphasised the importance of political parties in the state signing the peace pact for the smooth conduct of the election. However, he did not reveal the number of political parties that signed the accord.

Mamedu stated that the participants in the peace deal were chosen by various stakeholders to make sure that those who weren’t there signed theirs by Friday. Mamedu was represented by Mr. Celestine Odo, Head of Program for ActionAid Nigeria.

He claims that the involvement is a component of their larger plan to solve the historical problems that have beset Nigeria’s local government elections, including low voter turnout and the marginalisation of women and young people.

Since the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the Justice Development Peace Commission (JDPC), and other groups are spearheading this process, they will sign theirs.

“We aim to enhance stakeholder coordination for election security, with a particular focus on building a more open, responsible, and inclusive governance framework.

He declared, “We seek to create a framework of cooperation between the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), law enforcement, community leaders, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).”