Addressing the candidates and guests at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, the Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC), General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), urged the political parties to function as effective actors for peace before, during, and after the elections.
Abubakar called on them to adopt a code of conduct that would promote a peaceful process devoid of rigging.
The former Nigerian Head of State appealed to the candidates to use the remaining days left to speak directly to voters and supporters, pleading with them to avoid violence.
The report by Nigeria’s Channels Television quoted Abubakar as saying that the importance of the exercise is to ensure that there will be no need for Nigeria to invite foreign observers in the future.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, as well as former Presidents of Liberia, Tanzania and Botswana among others at the event give goodwill messages.
Speaking at the event, President Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) called for prayers as the nation goes into the elections in a few days.
He appealed to the Nigerian youths to eschew all forms of violence, stressing that the important thing was for candidates to accept the final outcome of the elections.
He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission had assured the people of a free and fair exercise.
In his remarks, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku, Abubakar quoted former President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian.
He, however, urged the electoral umpire to be fair arbiters for neutrality to prevail.
Atiku also urged security agencies not to embark on indiscriminate arrests of key officials, days or hours before the elections, saying that was the case in some bye-elections.
He also urged the President to do everything within his power to ensure that the vote of every eligible person counts.
All the presidential candidates had earlier signed the first part of the peace accord in December last year.
Some of the guests, who witnessed the signing included the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland; Bishop Mathew Kukah, as well as other members of the National Peace Committee (NPC).