By Yemi Monday
Political parties and their candidates in Gombe State on Wednesday signed a Peace Accord assuring that they will ensure peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.
Speaking to Journalists immediately after the signing of the peace document, the gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Gombe State, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, hoped that the accord will be sustained by all.
According to him: “Today is a very good day for Gombe politics as all of us gathered here to sign the election peace accord, this is not different from what NNPP stands for, that is what I as a person believe in.
“if you follow my campaign style, all my campaign songs, and other materials, they connote peace. We should know that before the political parties came, Gombe State was there and it shall continue to be after the elections.”
He however lamented that, “The peace accord has already been violated by the powers that be, and we do not have the voice to say it out.”
Khamisu Mailantarki said that, “for example, now, I have about 6000 billboards, I doubt much if there is any other contestant that have such number, but, if you go to the streets of Gombe today, you will realize that none of them is existing and you see another party’s own there.”
He alleged that,”they keep taking them away from the points, they keep challenging our supporters and all that and erecting theirs there.”
“One thing is that, billboards cannot vote, it does not represent the will of the good people of Gombe state, it will not change anything but we should come together and practice this politics without bitterness,” he stressed.
According to him, “I tried to draw the attention of other contestants, let us practice this politics without bitterness.”
He stressed that, “It is like a football match, we can compete on the polls, let us all do whatever we can to take advantage of that day, and, after that, we can change jerseys, we share, we can wine and dine together because there is no better thing like Gombe State.”
Khamisu Mailantarki added that,”we should work for the interest of the people of Gombe, we should not be used as medium of disharmony among our people, our supporters, our citizens because Gombe State is far better than anyone of us.”
He assured that, “I will continue to do this and I will continue to pray that the security agencies, they should make more emphasis on a peaceful general elections.”
Speaking on the chances of the NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, he said that, “It is very clear in Gombe State, a lot of people believe that he is the best candidate, we have no doubt that we will take the day, Gombe belongs to the NNPP as you can see.”