Ahead of Saturday, November 11, governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi state, former President Goodluck Jonathan has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections, News About Nigeria reports.
Jonathan, who said this in a post on his X account on Friday, urged that the electoral management body, security agencies and other stakeholders must be professional and patriotic in the discharge of their responsibilities during and after the election.
The former governor of Bayelsa state also charged politicians and their supporters in these states to avoid violence and to conduct themselves in a peaceful way according to the law.
Jonathan further noted that nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any citizen, therefore, they must desist from anything that would spark violence during the election.
According to him, a politician who means well for his people would not recruit thugs to attack and kill the very people he wants to govern.
His statement partly reads, “As citizens of voting age in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States go to the polls for governorship election tomorrow, I urge all electorates and politicians to avoid violence and conduct themselves in a peaceful and lawful manner.”
Jonathan further warned voters in these states to refrain from any activity that will trigger violence and, in turn, jeopardize the collective peace and stability of Nigeria.
The former president added that for democracy to thrive in Nigeria, the leadership recruitment process, especially elections, must be credible, transparent, fair and peaceful.
