Like ABUJA like ABURI? Yesterday the 14th of January 2015, we had the Abuja PEACE ACCORD chaired by former UN Secretary General Dr Kofi Annan. In attendance were all the Presidential aspirants in the forthcoming elections and their Party Chieftains. At the gathering, Mr Annan emphasised the need for a Violence-free election. He did mention that should the aftermath of the election results snowball into large scale violence and blood-shed, it will take the country many years backwards and wont augur well for the West African sub-region and the African Continent at large. As I ruminate over yesterdays significant event, the event of 4th to 5th January 1967 in ABURI Ghana come to my mind. There are plenty of parallels between the ABURI ACCORD and the ABUJA ACCORD 1. Aburi was called to find a lasting solution to the killings and massacre of southern Nigerians in Northern Nigeria which had escalated to an ongoing Civil War at the time. The present Abuja Accord of yesterday was called to forestall Pre-and Post election Violence with the BOKO HARAM ceaseless massacre in the North as a reference point. 2. Aburi was under the auspices and chaired by then Ghanaian leader Lieutenant General J.A. Ankrah The Abuja Accord was chaired yesterday by yet another eminent Ghanaian, Dr Kofi Annan. 3. The Aburi Accord was called to foster Peace and had in attendance principal officers from the two belligerent sides. The Abuja Accord of yesterday was called to foster Peace and had in attendance principal officers from the two major Parties and the other Parties. 4. The Aburi Accord was RENEGED completely by Gowon upon arrival into Nigeria. This brings me to the crux of this post: Will the losing side post election respect the decisions of the Abuja Accord reached yesterday? In a scenario where the APC loses the Presidential election, wont General Buhari RENEGE on Abuja just like General Gowon did on Aburi 48 years ago? Will the General choose to Jaw-jaw rather than to War-War? Will the General play the role of the Statesman be should be by toeing the path of Peace? Will the General accept that greater premium should be placed on human lives rather than personal ambitions? Will the General rather prefer to lead us into another huge-scale War? These and many more troubling questions worry my mind. We hope that post election, we wont remember my post today and wonder thus: So it is like Abuja like Aburi?
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 07:36:18 +0000
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