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Signing Of Peace Pact Unnecessary, Says Donald Duke

December 14, 2018

“There are laws that deal with those who don’t want to respect the norms of the society. In a sane society, it ought not to be so.”

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The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Donald Duke, on Thursday, said there was no need for the peace accord currently being signed by presidential candidates.

He said there were enough laws in Nigeria that made provisions for punishments for electoral offenders.

Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, spoke at the public presentation of a book titled “The coming revolution: A manifesto for national greatness,” written by Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher.

He said, “There is really no need for peace accord because we have laws.

“We just want to show that we are coming into the race.

“There are laws that deal with those who don’t want to respect the norms of the society. In a sane society, it ought not to be so.”

Duke, who had earlier in the day signed the peace agreement, however, commended the process. He said the peace pact would stop political leaders from orchestrating violence in next year’s elections.

He said, “The peace accord is necessary. It is one of the fundamental things to do. You can’t have elections of violence. INEC must do the right thing by increasing voter education.

“INEC should live up to its responsibility by sanctioning candidates involved in vote buying so that everybody will fall in line.

“Until we do that, people will continue to do whatever they like.”

The SDP presidential candidate stressed that the continuous migration of Nigerians to other countries in search of greener pastures had made them “endangered species not just to the neighbouring countries but the world.”