Former United States President, Bill Clinton has been scheduled to meet with major contenders in Nigeria’s forthcoming presidential election for a peace deal amidst political mudslinging and tension.

Clinton is expected to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his main rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after delivering the keynote address at the peace deal signing.

According to Alan Doss, the President of the Kofi Annan Foundation which facilitated the meeting, the significant event will come a day before the presidential election slated for February 16.

“As Nigeria heads towards presidential elections, every effort must be made to ensure that they take place in a peaceful atmosphere,” Doss said in a press statement.

“President Bill Clinton is well-known and respected in Nigeria and we are pleased that he agreed to make the trip in order to personally urge all the candidates and their parties to re-commit to the peace pledge they adopted last December,” he added.

Doss reiterated that Clinton’s presence in the country would demonstrate the importance of the general elections not only for Nigeria but the African continent as a whole.