Ahead of Edo state governorship election coming up this weekend, the Network for Best Practice and Integrity in Leadership (NEBPRIL) has called on political stakeholders in the state to desist from inflammatory comments, violence and other tendencies that could potentially mar the polls.
NEBPRIL in a statement signed by its chairman, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene in Abuja, Sunday described as “frightening and worrisome, how stakeholders in the project have allowed rancour, bitterness and violence to define the path to the poll.”
It warned that “Violence-prone persons, no matter how highly placed, should not be treated with kid gloves. Rather, the full weight of the law should be brought to bear on anyone or group, irrespective of status that continues to engage in hate speech, vandalism and violence.
The statement partly read: “The success of the September 19 Edo governorship elections should not be seen to be the duty and responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the candidates only. It behooves all stakeholders, including eligible voters and non-voters, to see to the success of that election.”
“Concerned that the language of political campaigns in the state instead of embodying the principles of restraint, decency and accommodation, has rather lighted a match on the incendiary vices of incivility, discourtesy and the unrestrained propensity to unleash violence and inflict harm on opponents.
“Predictably, this traditional pattern of leaning towards electoral violence to advance or consolidate positions of strength, has already led to some clashes among contending political parties.”
NEBPRIL noted that a pre-election survey conducted by election monitoring group, YIAGA Africa and Polling Analysis Databank Strategy (NOIPolls) showed that “voters and election officers are concerned that electoral violence and intimidation – which are already being witnessed in the run-up to the elections – would not only mar the credibility of the polls, but may also lead to loss of lives and property if not immediately curtailed.”
It continued to “As a group that advocates integrity and best practices in leadership and public conduct, NEBPRIL is particularly worried that part of what has engendered this culture of violence is when key actors resort to the pouring of personal invectives and attacks on opponents, rather than projecting their manifestoes and programmes.”
