From Gyang Bere, Jos
A Peace and Mediation Working Committee, Plateau State has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work with relevant stakeholders in the state and ensure that the will of citizens prevails during the Saturday Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
Chairman of the Committee Dr Dinshak Luka Dajahar disclosed this on Wednesday in Jos during a press briefing and urged citizens to resist the temptation of vote buying and conduct themselves in a civil manner to ensure peaceful elections.
“We appeal for thrive through the will of the citizens rather than intimidating voters, ballot box snatching, manipulation of electoral outcomes, vote buying and selling, non-transmission of election results to the IREV server.
“People must resist buying and selling of votes. No politician who is aspiring to provide governance would want to buy votes from you rather than to convince you on how to address emerging challenges that have impoverished the people and have made life solidarity, poor nasty, brutish and short.”
He acknowledged the fact that the presidential and national assembly elections in Plateau were peaceful and called on citizens to conduct themselves in an honourable manner during the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.
“This can only happen when all stakeholders work together to bring this about. If we allow violence to prevail, we will all be losers whoever emerges after the elections after an objective process, Plateau and Nigeria have won. If we allow peace to prevail, we all will be gainers,” he stated.
“The political leaders should caution their followers more deliberately to reduce the present animosity that has been developing along political divides on the candidature of the major gubernatorial candidates.
“Religious and traditional/community leaders should use their influence to call political actors to order. They should also reach out to their followers to eschew all manner of evil speaking which they, as moral custodians, have a responsibility to discharge.
“Media practitioners should resist the temptation of playing into the hands of politicians but stand with the people to prepare the ground for credible elections to objective reportage.
He said the committee which was established by Youth initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse (YIAVHA) with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) will work with relevant stakeholders to ensure a peaceful election.
He explained that in the build-up to the Presidential election, the committee reached out to about 255 local government-level stakeholders across the 17 local government areas of Plateau State who are members of the emergency, preparedness and response team (EPRT) of the Justice Development and Peace Caritas.
He lamented that based on reports available to them, issues of vote buying came up in all 17 local government areas with the recruitment and arming of thugs in two local governments and denial of campaign grounds in a few local government areas.
“Beyond the engagement with those stakeholders, we have also mobilized citizens via the effective use of the media to discuss these emerging issues and how citizens can amicably engage with them,” he stated.