2015: PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SIGN PEACE ACCORD.

As eleven presidential candidates signed a Peace Accord toward the conduct of free and fair elections next month, former United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan warned that violence could be a set-back to progress.
"What happens in Nigeria affects us all, not just in West Africa but Africa as a whole. If Nigeria does well, the region as a whole does well. But the reverse is also true, " Annan said.

The former envoy who spoke at a workshop for presidential candidates in Abuja which was attended by President Goodluck Jonathan and retired General Muhammadu Buhari, said the impact of unrest could have far-reaching consequences.
The International Crisis Group warned in November last year that an "increasingly violent" political climate and rhetoric from political parties must be checked to avoid widespread unrest.
Annan said a pledge of non-violence by all parties "will reassure Nigerians and foreign friends who are concerned about potential election-related violence".
According to him, election-linked can "put the country back years and hurt everybody".
"The world is watching. Nigeria's success in forthcoming elections will be Africa's success. Nigeria has the future of Africa in its hands," said Annan