The Nation Newspaper

Tag: electoral violence

  • Ekiti 2018: NUJ rallies against election violence

    Journalists in Ekiti State on Wednesday marched through the streets of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, to warn residents against involvement in electoral violence.

    Acting under the aegis of the Ekiti State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the media practitioners urged residents to conduct themselves peacefully at the poll and not to plunge the state into chaos before, during and after the poll.

    The march which was tagged: “Public Awareness/Rally on Peaceful Election in Ekiti State,” started at the NUJ Secretariat, Oke Bareke and took the journalists through Isato, Irona, Ijigbo, Old Garage, Okeyinmi, Okesa, Ojumose, Atikankan areas of the city.

    Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and students and officials of the Ado-Ekiti Campus of the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) also participated in the rally.

    Participants at the rally carried placards and distributed leaflets denouncing violence, arson, electoral malpractices and other behavior that could cause breakdown of law and order.

    The rally was given protection by officers and men of the Ekiti State Police Command while operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) assisted to prevent traffic gridlock.

    Read Also:Ekiti 2018: Osinbajo, Tinubu, twelve governors urge residents to vote Fayemi

    Some of the placard reads: “We Want Peace in Ekiti,” “Vote, Not Fight, Election No Be War,” “Remember Your Life Is Very Precious,” “Shun Electoral Violence,” “Your Vote Is Your Power, Vote Right,” “Don’t Allow Yourselves To Be Used as Thugs,” among others.

    The marchers reached out to residents in their homes, market women, commercial drivers, commercial motorcycle riders, commuters, Hausa and Igbo traders.

    Traders at Irona and Bisi Markets commended the journalists for the enlightenment campaign which they said was apt and timely as Election Day approaches.

    Speaking at the rally, Ekiti NUJ Chairman, Rotimi Ojomoyela, urged the people of the state not to allow the forthcoming poll to be marred by violence.

    Ojomoyela said the rally was the contribution of the NUJ to a peaceful electoral process urging politicians, voters and other stakeholders to maintain peace for the poll to be successful.

    He explained that the NUJ is a non-partisan body but is concerned about loss of lives which is always trail the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

    Ojomoyela said: “This rally was organized to send a message that election violence does not pay and we want to appeal to our people to say no to violence.

    “Election is a civic duty and should be done peacefully; we urge eligible voters to go to their polling stations on Election Day and vote peacefully for the candidates of their choice.

    “We urge politicians not to use our children and youths as thugs and we also warn our younger generation not to allow themselves to be used to cause mayhem at election.

    “Ekiti is a peaceful state, the NUJ is for peace and we will continue to advocate for peace. All stakeholders in the electoral process must give peace a chance.”

    The NUJ Vice Chairman, Aderonke Samo, urged Ekiti youths not to allow politicians to destroy their future by using them to unleash terror at election period.

    She said: “Our youths must realize that they have their own lives to live and they should not be tools for violence. Who tells you that you too cannot become president, governor or senator in the nearest future.

    “We don’t want anybody’s blood to be used as sacrifice for election, our youths be warned! We are also calling on our parents to rein in their wards, so that they will not be used to burn houses, vehicles and vandalize properties.”

  • Dickson vows to sanction actors of electoral violence

    Dickson vows to sanction actors of electoral violence

    …Receives report of commission of enquiry

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has vowed to sanction persons behind the violence that marred the last governorship elections in the state.

    Dickson said such persons would soon know their fate based on the recommendations contained in a report submitted to him by the Judicial Commission of Enquiry headed by Justice Margaret Akpomiemie.

    Speaking while receiving the report of the commission in Government House, the governor lauded the commission for its diligent work and said his administration would study the document.

    ‎He said: “This job is very important and so the recommendations and findings will be carefully looked into so that appropriate actions will follow to let people know that there are consequences for misbehavior.

    “People should not be allowed to kill, maim and destroy properties in the name and under the guise of elections in this state”.

    The commission which was inaugurated o‎n December 14, 2015 was given seven terms of reference and in August 2016 it submitted an interim report to the governor.

    Akpomiemie while submitting a final report in four volumes said the commission called for and received 13 memoranda from the public while 39 witnesses testified with several exhibits tendered.

    She said members of the commission painstakingly went through their task and expressed optimism that the findings and recommendations will be useful in the conduct of future elections.

    “The commission carefully deliberated on the evidence before it both oral and documentary and we are happy to inform you that the commission has successfully completed its assignment”, she said.

    Akpomiemie thanked the governor for the opportunity to carry out such sensitive assignment noting that it was personally for her a unique way to end her 20 years of service in the judiciary.

  • Electoral violence: INEC receives 120 casefiles from police

    Electoral violence: INEC receives 120 casefiles from police

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received 126 case files from the Police Force for the prosecution of electoral violence from the conduct of elections.

    INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu spoke yesterday in Abuja when he received the Inspector General of Police Special Investigative Panel on the December 10 Rivers State Legislative Rerun Election.

    Yakubu said 61 of the offenders had been prosecuted as a result of the INEC collaboration with security agencies.

    Yakubu said: “We have cooperated with the security agencies particularly the police in past in prosecuting electoral offenders.

    “Since 2015 general elections and the rerun elections in 2016, we have received 120 case files from the police for prosecution.

    “I am happy to say that we have so far recorded 61 successful prosecutions as a result of the cooperation with the security agencies.

    “The biggest one came after the disruption of the April 2016 re-run elections in Kano state, in a constituency in Minjibir Local Government Area.

    “In the election, over 40 offenders were successfully prosecuted in a joint effort between the commission and the security agency. The highest number of prosecution the commission has ever achieved.’’

    Yakubu, who expressed INEC delight in the I-GP for setting up the special investigative panel, assured of full cooperation with security agencies in their investigation.

    “Whatever you required to facilitate investigation from the commission, be rest assured that the commission will be forthcoming.

    “On our own, the commission have also set up administrative review of what transpired in Rivers so that where our staff are found to be culpable we will deal with the situation.

    “We have very contentious staff in the commission but where our staff erred they will be dealt with. The most important thing in this situation is to learn lesson and see how we move forward,’’ he said.

    He said the commission required the cooperation and active involvement of security agencies to carry out its statutory responsibilities, including successful conduct of peaceful elections.

    Yakubu also disclosed that so far, since the last general election INEC had conducted 163 elections, from re-run to by-elections nationwide.

    “We still have six more re-run elections between January and February, including the replacement of unfortunate death of the member of the Delta State House of Assembly.’’

    The leader of the 10 man investigative panel, Mr Dan Okoro, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Force CID, said they were at INEC headquarters to seek the commission’s support on the investigation.

    “We are here to introduce ourselves, engage, interact with INEC on our mission to enable us to handle this national assignment successfully,’’ Okoro said.

     

  • Electoral violence unacceptable, says IGP

    Electoral violence unacceptable, says IGP

    Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris yesterday condemned electoral violence.
    The IGP spoke with members of National Support Groups for Good Governance, who were at the Force Headquarters to protest the killings in the River State legislative rerun.
    They were led by National Coordinator Abdulwahab Ekakhide.
    Idris, who was represented by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Alkali Usman, told the protesters the police would leave no stone unturned in bringing perpetrators of the violence to book.
    Alkali added that arrests had been made regarding the killings.
    Ekakhide condemned the alleged threats by Governor Nyesom Wike during the poll which he said led to violence and killings of security officials.
    He said the group was opposed to all forms of electoral violence.
    “After the election, Rivers State government led a protest to the police command and demanded police officers vacate the state or anything can happen.
    “He has no such right to tell an agency of the Federal Government to vacate the state. What he was indirectly saying was telling the people if you see this man kill him.
    “That is the message he was sending and we must caution him. He is not the president of this country nor law to himself but just a governor that was elected by his people.
    “Nobody, no matter how highly placed, has the right to take laws into his hands and you can’t continue to incite the people because when you get to a certain level, you don’t make statements that incite the people and that is why we are saying that Governor Wike should be cautioned and must be made to retract his statements; he should not make such statements as they are inciting,” he said.

  • Electoral violence and issues in Rivers governorship poll

    Many people today fully appreciate the fact that those who perpetrate electoral violence do incalculable harm, not only to the present generation but also to those in the future. But by far the most far-reaching implication of any form of breach during election is the exclusion of many voices, even long before the process of governance begins. This reality, no doubt, remains the cause of political tensions in most developing countries.

    Given our proclivity for electoral violence, I had thought that the last 16 years of uninterrupted democratic experience would have significantly addressed this issue. To me, the fact that political contest is still not violent-free in Nigeria diminishes our efforts in building a country of our dream.

    Except we are all prepared to live with the long and painful consequences of electoral violence, which is definitely not an option, every government has a duty to renew hope, not just in the electorates but also in the political process. And this is the expectation of many Nigerians at the moment.

    Agreed that some states in Nigeria may have over the years, experienced a comparatively better record in terms of conduct of elections, this cannot be said in all sincerity of states in South-South, particularly Rivers and Akwa Ibom where violent occurrences remain an issue of grave concern. Though violence and intimidation had been part of elections in these states for many years now, brutality was however taken to new heights in 2015 general elections. Rivers State particularly recorded countless cases of politically motivated deaths and cruelty across the length and breadth of the state.

    At a personal level, the most upsetting part of electoral violence is that in the final analysis, everyone is a loser: the living, the unborn and even the dead that paid the supreme sacrifice. This is largely so because any political contest that is not violence-free obviously results in the emergence of unpopular and unacceptable contestants.

    This correlation between credible elections and quality of governance addresses eloquently, issues of growth and development. Except there is magic, it will be absolutely impossible for purveyors of violence and others against fair political contest to provide any form of leadership that will be purposeful and beneficial to the great number of people.

    This is already evident in the flashpoint states under review and the reasons are not far to seek. Anyone who bulldozes his way to any elective position, either for personal aggrandizement or for other vague reasons, clearly has no covenant with the people.  Therefore that person is unaccountable and also at liberty to desecrate any political office he or she forcefully occupies. After all, his allegiance remains with the tiny clique rather than the general interest, and this ugly trend has continued unabated.

    I think this is the major reason advanced democracies dispatch election monitors to developing countries to serve as independent observers. Over the years and even at the risk of intimidation and harm, these election monitors have effectively braced all odds and served as authentic and fair opinion against all forms of infractions during elections. That is why all over the world, their views are highly respected because they are forcefully unbiased.

    What they found in Rivers State and Akwa Ibom, to say the least, was shocking and their damning verdict continues to provide insights on the monumental violence and fraud that occurred in the two states. But the negative report did not come as a surprise to many, especially for some of us who witnessed the elections.

    Less than twenty-four hours after the election, international observers had called for outright cancellation of the election due to obvious violations by some actors and the election body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.  Humphrey Bakaren, leader of African Centre for Leadership Strategies and Development who spoke on behalf of the observers described the election as a sham.

    I think it will be pertinent to state here that Bakaren and his colleagues specifically called for utter cancellation because of the level of violence and fraud. According to him, “we request all lovers of democracy to join us in calling for the outright cancellation of the phoney election. Unless this is done, we would have sown the seed that could eventually grow into providing a shade of fear and death over us”. The spokesperson added that INEC could not even meet the electioneering standard it set.

    But Civil Society Network Against Corruption went a step further. In its petition to the Inspector-General of Police, the group specifically demanded for the arrest and investigation of Resident Electoral Commissioners in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States. The petition of CSNAC entitled “Demand for Urgent Investigation of Fraudulent Manipulations of Elections of April 11, 2015 by the Resident Electoral Commissioners” addressed the brazen contravention and disregard of many portions of the Electoral Act.

    For good measure, CSNAC cited for instance, the discrepancies in Rivers State where the commissioner had declared 1,228,614 as total votes cast, a figure that is totally different from the number of accredited voters in INEC’s central server in Abuja.

    Unsurprisingly, all that is happening in Rivers State today fully vindicates the observers who had warned earlier of the awful consequences of electoral violence. But no society or people can perpetually live in self-denial, so we cannot afford to if we truly care about our present and the future.

    However, Jeffery Hawkins, the outgoing United States Consular-General, like the international election monitors who first drew global attention to the violence and breach in our region, believes that freedom only comes with justice. In a recent interview in a national daily, he shared his thoughts on our state even as he departs Nigeria. “One thing that was of concern to us in Rivers State was that there was a good deal of violence in the lead up to the elections, and by our count, probably several hundred people were killed over a period of several months and that is not conducive to a peaceful polling process. As you recall, Chairman Jega sent a delegation to Rivers to look into the concerns immediately after the elections, so it was clear that issues were being raised that may not have been raised in other states. But again, if that election was less than perfect, it’s now left for the judicial system to decide”, he said.

     

    • Amachree is an NGO activist based in Port Harcourt.

  • Electoral violence, unity and peace

    “The surest way to encourage violence is to give in to it.” – Author Unknown

    “There is no force, however formidable, that aunited people cannot overcome.”

    Kwame NkrumahOn March 28 and April 11l, Nigerians eligible to vote went to the polls to elect political office holders. And the results have been announced with the winners celebrating and the losers reflecting.

    Nevertheless in almost every election year since independence political and electoral violence has become part and parcel of the Nigerian electoral process. During our Election 2011 about 800 or more Nigerians (including 10 youth corps members) died as a direct result of political and electoral violence. And in Election 2015 the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be investigating 66 incidents in 19 states.

    How can we stop electoral violence? How can we maintain law and order during and after the elections? How can we protect the lives and property of the citizens of Nigeria? How can we let peace reign in Nigeria especially during an election year? How can we ensure that “PEACE in NIGERIA” is the ULTIMATE WINNER in every election year? How can we as Nigerian citizens come together in unity and agreement and make peaceful elections a reality in Nigeria?

    Looking at our history from just before independence to date, Nigerians, as a people, have only come together in unity and agreement on five major occasions.

    The first was at independence. Just before we became an independent nation, our goal was to be liberated from Britain. Our founding fathers and all Nigerians were united on that. We were able to achieve our goal on October 1, 1960, the day the Union Jack was lowered permanently in our country and the Nigerian flag hoisted. Unfortunately, our unity started and ended there as our leaders proceeded to play to the gallery by engaging in regional and tribal politics, which was the politics of their time. They had no clear-cut vision for Nigeria as a nation.

    The second time was 33 years later on June 12, 1993. The goal was to force General Ibrahim Babangida out of office through the ballot box. On that fateful day, as a people and a nation, we stood united at the polls. This unity took place irrespective of ethnic group, religion, sex or age.

    Chief Moshood Abiola had won in 19 of the then 30 states but General Babangida annulled the election just before the final count was announced. The result was to spiral us through a dark tunnel of chaos, crisis and calamity.

    The third time was immediately after General Sani Abacha’s death. The goal of Nigerians was for a quick return to democracy. We were united in the cause. Within less than a year, on May 29, 1999, an elected democratic government was sworn in.

    The fourth time was the fuel subsidy strike that started on the first of January 2012 and lasted for a week.

    The fifth time was during the Ebola virus outbreak in 2014. The federal and state governments, hospitals, schools, banks, offices, institutions e.t.c put measures in place to stop Ebola in its tracks. From federal government to state government to the citizen on the street, we were all united in our effort to fight Ebola.

    How can we come together in unity and agreement to ensure that “PEACE in NIGERIA” is the ULTIMATE WINNER every time we have elections? What are the things we can do? What are the things we need to do? What are the things we must do? How do we create unity for a peaceful election?

    Unity is strength! Unity is power! Getting Nigerians in unity and agreement can create peace.

    Some more questions we still need to ask for future elections are: How can we create a campaign around a violence-free peaceful election? How can we create activities that will promote peace during elections? What can we do to get fellow Nigerians to buy into the idea of a peaceful election? What can we do to get the politicians and their parties to buy into the idea of a peaceful election and make it a reality? What can we do to get the two major parties to buy into the idea of a peaceful election and make it a reality?

    Can there be a penalty for the most violent party? Can there be an award for the most violent-free and most peaceful party? Can we give an award for the least violent/most peaceful state in the nation? How can we think out-of-the-box in the way we solve this problem of electoral violence?

    How can we stop people, politicians and political parties from making inciting statements? Can we have a counter to measure how many inciting words were used by each of the parties in their campaigns? How can we curb the excesses of political supporters? Can we as Nigerian citizens challenge INEC to consider and implement their proposed creation of an Electoral Offenses Commission with the power to investigate and prosecute electoral offenders? How can we encourage a peaceful transfer of power every time elections come up in Nigeria? These are hard questions we need to ask and get answers to now to ensure that “PEACE IN NIGERIA” is always the ULTIMATE WINNER in our future elections!

    In conclusion, as Barthelemy Enfantin once said “If you would preserve peace, then prepare for peace”.

    • Ms Simoyan writes from Lagos

     

  • ‘Electoral violence dangerous for democracy’

    ‘Electoral violence dangerous for democracy’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu spoke with reporters, shortly after he cast his vote at Alausa, Ikeja, on the conduct of the governorship and parliamentary elections, security arrangement and danger of electoral violence. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    What is your assessment of the election so far?

    I think the INEC has prepared well and organised the election well. The card reader is working, unlike last time when the card reader was not recognising voters. This time, at first attempt, I was recognised and accredited. The voting process is smooth and the organisation of the voting process is well done. The only thing we will be looking out in the future is something that will help the INEC to improve. The card reading process is no more dependable, easy and understandable very well. Then, we can just be accredited and go straight to voting. It will reduce the cases of accrediting, going back and not returning to vote or the congestion that is building up at the polling units.

    What is your reaction to the low turnout of voters?

    The low turnout is not a big deal yet. It appears that people are not excited as other places in this area. The assessment of the turnout should be based on the demographic evaluation of the various constituencies across the state. I can’t comment much about that now. Observers can comment much more about that.

    What is your assessment of the security situation?

    The security situation, to me, is too early to assess. So far so good. I cannot use the situation in one polling unit to measure the security arrangement. There are reports. The alarming one is the lack of police reliability. We heard that the AIG was to take charge of the security and the Commissioner of Police, more or less, relegated to an Area Commander and the DIG is now the Commissioner of Police in charge of elections. That is not good enough in the confidence building process. If there is no reason for it, it should not be possible for anybody, no matter highly placed, to make an oral posting of the police officers.

    There have been reports about violence in Rivers State…

    It is barbaric. We have to remove violence from our body politic. Election is about people and service to the people. That is why democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not a process of gun and war and violence. It is power by all means necessary that leads to violence. We need to eschew that, allow the process to run its course, nurture the institutions of democracy, respect the rule of law and the lives and property of Nigerians. The right of the people to choose their own leader for a specific period of time should be respected. All these riggings, violence are not necessary. You are talking about low turnout. When there is violence and harassment, there will be low turnout. When there is escalation of violence and the lives of people are threatened, every hour every week, we are given the impression that we are not civilised. We are educated. What is the value of our education? If the police and army is used to terrorise people as the police and army of one man or one party in power, the country is heading for danger. For every action, there will be a reaction.

    Throughout the week, before the election, there were a lot of gunshot across the state. That was scaring to the people. That is why they didn’t come out. That is a method of rigging. It is because you are not popular. If you are popular, you will want the crowd to be there and make their choice. The abuse of  power in this nation must stop. It takes a commonsense revolution to do that.

     

  • Electoral violence is counter-productive, says Tinubu

    Electoral violence is counter-productive, says Tinubu

    •APC National Leader hinges low turnout on voters’ harassment

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday warned against the danger of electoral violence, saying that it is counter-productive.

    He said many voters may have shunned the governorship and house of assembly elections because of voters’ intimidation, harassment and violence.

    The former Lagos State governor also lamented the emergency posting of police officers by the Police Inspector General, Sulaiman Abba, for electoral duty in Lagos, adding that the presence of the Deputy Inspector General, Mathew Mbu, has relegated the Commissioner of Police to an Area Commander.

    Tinubu arrived at his polling unit on Sunday Adigun Street, Alausa, Ikeja around 7.40 am. He was accredited by polling officers around 8.20 am. Around 1.40pm, the former governor vote.

    Hailing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for organising a peaceful poll, Tinubu said: “I think the INEC has prepared well and organised the election well. The card reader is working, unlike the last time when the card reader was not recognising voters. This time, at first attempt, I was recognised and accredited. The voting process is smooth and the organisation of the voting process is well done. The only thing we will be looking out in the future is something that will help the INEC to improve.

    “The card reading process is now more dependable, easy and understandable very well. Then, we can just be accredited and go straight to voting. It will reduce the cases of accrediting, going back and not returning to vote or the congestion that is building up at the polling units.”

    Tinubu accused the police of partisanship, saying that the sudden postings by the Inspector General was suspicious. He added: “The security situation, to me, is too early to assess. So far, so good. I cannot use the situation in one polling unit to measure the security arrangement. There are reports here and there.

    “The alarming one is the lack of police reliability. We heard that the AIG was to take charge of the security and the Commissioner of Police, more or less, relegated to an Area Commander and the DIG is now the Commissioner of Police in charge of elections. That is not good enough in the confidence building process. If there is no reason for it, it should not be possible for anybody, no matter highly placed, to make an oral posting of the police officers.”

    The National Leader lamented the spate of electoral violence in some states, saying that it is barbaric and counter-productive.

    He said: “We have to remove violence from our body politic. Election is about people and service to the people. That is why democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not a process of gun and war and violence. It is power by all means necessary that leads to violence. We need to eschew that, allow the process to run its course, nurture the institutions of democracy; respect the rule of law and the lives and property of Nigerians. The right of the people to choose their own leader for a specific period of time should be respected.”

    Tinubu added: “All these riggings, violence are not necessary. You are talking about low turnout. When there is violence and harassment, there will be low turnout. When there is escalation of violence and the lives of people are threatened, every hour every week, we are given the impression that we are not civilised. We are educated. What is the value of our education? If the police and army are used to terrorise people as the police and army of one man or one party in power, the country is heading for danger. For every action, there will be a reaction.

    “Throughout the week, before the election, there were lots of gunshot across the state. That was scaring to the people. That is why they didn’t come out. That is a method of rigging. It is because you are not popular. If you are popular, you will want the crowd to be there and make their choice. The abuse of power in this nation must stop. It takes a commonsense revolution to do that.”

  • Fear of electoral violence worries South-South ethnic nationalities

    • Move to sign peace pacts with north, west, others

    Readers of ethnic nationalities in the South-South have initiated moves to sign peace pacts with their counterparts in other geopolitical zones to forestall violence before, during and after the forthcoming elections.

    It was gathered that the decision was reached at the weekend when various heads of ethnic nationalities from the South-South including the leadership of the Ijaw National Congress (IYC), worldwide, met at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa.

    It was learnt that the meeting was convened by the President of the IYC, Udens Eradiri, following fears that the elections could trigger violence across the country.

    Confirming the development, Eradiri said the ethnic nationalities met to look at issues concerning security, economy and politics in the region.

    He said the leaders agreed to move to the north next week to sign peace accord with other ethnic nationalities to stop act of violence against any political party.

    He noted that the leaders faulted the Abuja peace accord signed by candidates including President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He argued that the Abuja accord excluded the youths who are mostly victims and perpetrators of violence.

    “We are moving round to solicit support from other ethnic nationalities from east, west, north and south to sign our own peace accord.

    “We want to bring the OPC, Ohaneze, ethnic nationalities in Niger Delta, the Arewa and all other organisations that have been calling for one form of agitation or the other to sign that peace accord for us to have peace during and after the elections,” Eradiri said.

    Eradiri also condemned any act of electoral violence against any political party and demanded that President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari should go for debate ahead of the poll.

    He said that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, should consider their recommendation with seriousness.

    According to him, INEC should allow persons who could not get their PVCs to use their TVCs to avoid disenfranchising eligible voters.

    He appealed to the commission to allow such persons to exercise their franchise with their TVCs.

    Eradiri lauded the Jega-led INEC for shifting the polls, saying the extension had given many Nigerians the opportunity to prepare for the election.

  • Students rally against electoral violence

    Students rally against electoral violence

    To sensitise students on how best to conduct themselves in the coming general election, students of Mass Communication Department of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu have held a rally on the campus against electoral violence.

    The rally was held to commemorate the annual costume day of the Film Unit of the department. The students, who carried different placards, said they were worried by the spate of violence happening before the elections, urging the political class, security agencies and their colleagues to avoid bloodshed during the elections.

    Olusanjo Oladele, who spoke on behalf of the students, said: “The costumes we wear today reflect our diversity in ethnicity, professions, religion, and other interests. But we are united and we want to use this occasion to send a clear message to everybody in this country that we don’t want electoral violence.”

    Some of the placards displayed by the students had inscription such as, “No to violence before and after election”, “Free and fair elections we want”, “Your vote, your power”, “Let your vote count” and “Shun Violence”, among others.

    The students went round the campus, sensitising their colleagues and staff on the need to support peaceful conduct on the election.

    The Deputy Registrar (Students’ Affairs), Mrs Temitope Kolawole, who addressed the students, praised them for patriotism, while urging them to extend the campaign to electorate and youths outside the school.