NBA, NUJ preach peace, begin anti-violence initiative

BY DAPO AKINREFON & GBENGA ARIYIBI THE Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have agreed to form a peace initiative for the success of the election. They equally planned to put machinery in motion against electoral fraud and violence before, during and after the June 21 election. Operating under the banner of NBA/NUJ Peace Initiative (NNPI), the group is planning to organize a debate for all the candidates of the political parties and their running mates. At a joint press conference addressed by NBA Chairman, Ado Ekiti branch, Barr Joseph Adewumi and NUJ Chairman, Mr. Laolu Omosilade, they lamented that the State was yet to recover from the trauma occasioned by the protracted election petition that dogged the 2007 and 2009 rerun elections in the state. Adewunmi lamented that the orgy of violence that had been the hallmark of election in the state should not continue, pleading that the forthcoming election should be made a benchmark that would transform electioneering process in the country. ”We are all living witnesses to the fact that elections in Nigeria generally have been fraught with criminal violence leading to burning of property, arson, maiming and killing of innocent people. Many reasons can be advanced for this unsportsmanship acts. “In some cases, the electoral umpire themselves have not lived up to expectations in terms of planning and execution of elections, neutrality and impartiality. Also, the political parties and their candidates are more often intolerant of the opposition candidates”. He called on the gladiators of major parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), to make the campaigns issue based in the interest of peace. ”What we are doing is to ensure that we have peace and participatory democracy before, during and after the election. We want peace in Ekiti. We don’t want a repeat what of happened in this state after 2007 and 2009 rerun elections, where Ekiti was known for violence. We are looking up to a situation whereby the winner and losers of this election can embrace one another after the announcement. We don’t want a repeat of operation ‘wetie’ of the old Western Region,” the NBA chairman said and appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to work assiduously to make the polls credible and peaceful.