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From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Nigerian former Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo has described the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly polls in most parts of the country as a direct derivation from the cashless policy.
Ardo who said that incidents of ballot box snatching and other electoral frauds were also at their minimal due to the electoral Act reforms commended the people for conducting themselves peacefully and orderly.
The Diplomat, who is the state coordinator of Independent Grassroot Presidential Campaign Council IGPCC in Taraba State said that noted that incidents of vote buying were also very minimal as the cashless policy has limited the extent to which people could use cash to influence voting pattern.
Ardo said that with the policy in place, it is now easier for the relevant agencies to track campaign spendings of various political parties and their candidates as well as monitor any suspicious financial transactions from politicians and their cronies.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for leaving such brave legacy and insisted that although Nigerians are contending with so much difficulty as a result of the policy, the benefits in the long run would outweigh the difficulties endured.
Ardo who was able to deliver his polling unit and ward to the candidate of the APC said he is optimistic that the party will win overwhelmingly at all levels and urge contenders and their supporters to accept whatever results that come out in good faith and approach the Courts to register their grievances rather than resulting to violence and disruption of peace.
“I must say that this is the most peaceful elections we have witnessed in this country in recent times. This of course is as a result of the electoral reforms and the cashless policy of this administration. This policy came with a lot of challenges but Nigerians have started reaping it’s benefits.
“I must commend the professional way all the stakeholders seem to conduct themselves throughout this process. I went round town on the day of the election to monitor the situation and was thrilled at how highly professional our security agencies conducted themselves. At every point, they don’t care who you are. They conducted their routine but thorough check of your car to be sure you are not in possession of anything you shouldn’t be. They also treated people with courtesy like never before.
“You the journalists have also impressed me a lot. The kind of reports and analysis in the mainstream media have been mostly very professional in the buildup to the process till date. Of course, you have some mischief makers taking to the social media to peddle all kinds of information but those who know where to look for are never short of the right information at all times. This is commendable.
“My concern now is for the political players and their supporters to also key into this especially after the results are announced and to conduct themselves with civility and decency, approaching the Courts to address their grievances if any, rather than taking the law into their own hands to create confusion and cause mayhem.
“We do not have any other country. Nigeria is ours and ours to build. It is now obvious that we can actually conduct ourselves right and do things orderly. It is therefore imperative that we build on this momentum and change the narrative” Ardo said.
