We will make 2015 polls violence-free----APC
(Nigeria) The All Progressives Congress, APC, has assured
Nigerians and the international community that it will do all in its power to
make sure that the 2015 general elections were violence-free, noting that the rising apprehension about the
polls among the populace was inimical to the conduct of a successful election.
APC in a statement in Lagos on Sunday by its National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, noted that efforts should be
complemented by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government, which
has a propensity for using the security agencies to harass and intimidate the
opposition and ordinary citizens.
It also said the FG should take all measures necessary to
ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible, since rigging and other acts
of electoral malfeasance constitute the immediate trigger for anger and
violence during and after elections.
''We have heard from Nigerians who are so afraid about
possible violence during the forthcoming election that they are even willing to
relocate to other countries until after the elections. But, as the biggest
opposition party in Nigeria and a major stakeholder in our nation's democracy,
we are assuring, on our part, that there will be no violence.
''Though our party has no history of violence, we have
commenced a nationwide effort to sensitize our members and supporters to the
need to eschew rancour and embrace non-violent methods, even in the face of the
kind of provocations to which we were subjected during the Ekiti and Osun
governorship elections, when our members were needlessly harassed, arrested and
detained by partisan security agencies acting under orders from the FG.
''If the federal government allows a level playing field for
all contestants, if the security agencies stop acting as the armed wing of the
ruling PDP, if the electoral umpire will carry out its duties without fear,
favour or bias and if citizens are allowed to exercise their franchise
unmolested, the stage will be set for a non-violent, free, fair and credible
polls. In other words, the government has a major role to play in making the
forthcoming polls peaceful.
''On our part, in addition to other efforts aimed at
ensuring a peaceful election, we pledge to accept the result of an election
that is not only free, fair, credible and transparent, but one that is also
seen to be so. We hope other parties will make a similar pledge,'' APC said.
The party said it demonstrated, during its recent
rancour-free and festive national convention in Lagos, that elections should be
a celebration of democracy, rather than a moment of fear, violence and threat
to lives.
It said far from mere rhetoric, it had taken practical
steps, as far back as May 2014, to work with the PDP to ensure violence-free
polls in 2015.
''Following up on a meeting of representatives of both
parties in Washington, DC, US, April 7-8 2014 under the auspices of the CSIS Nigeria
Election Forum, at which it was agreed that a joint meeting of both parties be
convened to discuss and agree on the crucial issue of a Code of Conduct for the
campaigns and the elections, we wrote a letter to the PDP suggesting a
bipartisan meeting to address the issue.
''The PDP agreed to the proposal and suggested that it
should be expanded to include the leadership of other political parties in the country.
However, problem with logistics meant that the meeting did not hold.
''Even with the little time left for the election to hold,
we strongly believe that a meeting of the leadership of the two political
parties, the APC and the PDP, will send a powerful message to our compatriots and
indeed the international community and douse the tension that is building up
ahead of the election,'' APC said.
Comments
Post a Comment