Ahead of the governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo States, the Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers and the Representatives of the Igbo Archbishops and Bishops on Peace and Conflict Resolution have called on all Nigerians to do their utmost to ensure that the elections take place in a free, fair, and transparent atmosphere.
The group also urged the Federal and Imo State Governments to ensure that the election is free, fair, and transparent. They also called on all registered voters to come out in full force to exercise their constitutional rights and responsibilities of voting for the candidates of their choice without fear or favour.
“This would eliminate or minimize any post-election disputes and enable the winner to gain the immediate support of the electorate in confronting the challenges at hand,” the group
said in the statement obtained by BusinessDay.
“We beseech all registered voters to come out in full force to exercise their constitutional rights and responsibilities of voting for the candidates of their choice without fear or favour.
“We urge the electorates to resist any intimidation or efforts to compromise their conscience with cheap financial or material gestures that could provide momentary comfort but impoverish and compromise them for four years or longer through bad governance.”
Read also: Ignore sit-at-home, go out to vote — SE traditional leaders plead
The group also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rise to its statutory mandate in delivering a flawless election with all the technology and human capacity at its disposal. They also called on the security agencies to guarantee the peaceful and free movement of people who come out to exercise their civic duties, as well as prevent troublemakers from disrupting the elections, or attacks on any section of the people bases on ethnicity, religion, or party affiliations before, during, or after the election.
