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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Sequel to the conclusion of the governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states, the National Peace Committee (NPC), has called for calm.
Chairman of the committee, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, in a statement issued in Abuja, said the NPC was not unaware of the glitches recorded during the elections.
“Sadly, we have noted that some of the old ways remain and ordinary people continue to collude with corrupt members of the society to stall the processes of our elections. The persistence of the culture of vote-buying, intimidation, voter apathy, among others are disturbing. A democratic culture will only grow if we participate in cleaning up the process of our elections because in the end, we are the victims. The corruption of the process will lead to the emergence of corrupt leaders if we collude with merchants of corruption,” Abubakar said.
Abubakar, however, commended Nigerians, particularly the people of Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states where the off-cycle governorship elections took place last Saturday.
“The NPC is grateful to all critical stakeholders that worked round the clock to ensure the elections are free, fair and credible. Our appreciation goes to the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies, traditional rulers, leaders of political parties, non-governmental organisations, civil Society groups, the media and others that ensured the success of the elections in the three states.”
“We express our gratitude to voters in the states for defying obstacles and threat by performing their civic duties. We encourage our people to remain resilient and to use our experiences to correct the mistakes in the process of our elections.
“While we congratulate candidates who emerged winners during the elections, we encourage other participants not to lose faith in the judiciary and other means of seeking redress. With its imperfections, the judiciary is critical to the development of a good society. Irrespective of our diversity and political differences, we are better as one, united and indissoluble country. We call on the bearers of the sacred trust to deliver on their promises because good governance creates the condition for citizens to feel confident about elections. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!” Abubakar said.
