Nigeria opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar signs peace accord

Opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar has signed an accord ahead of next year's elections in Nigeria. /COURTESY
Opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar has signed an accord ahead of next year's elections in Nigeria. /COURTESY

Nigeria's main opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has signed an accord aimed at ensuring that next year's elections in the troubled nation proceed peacefully.

Abubakar had failed to join his main rival, President Muhammadu Buhari, in signing the accord on Tuesday, with his aides saying he had not been officially invited to the ceremony.

The accord was brokered by ex-President Abdulsalami Abubakar and Catholic Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah amid fears that the elections could be marred by violence and vote-rigging.

Another opposition candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, also signed the accord after failing to do so on Tuesday.

Ezekwesili is well known for leading the #BringBackOurGirls campaign to help free the 276 girls kidnapped from Chibok, northern Nigeria, in 2014.

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