Ahead of the December 5th Governorship election in
Bayelsa State, the Niger Delta Renaissance Organisation has urged all
stakeholders in the state to eschew violence and campaign of calumny against
perceived political enemies.
The group while making an assessment of the campaigns so far
said there was a deliberate ploy by individuals and groups loyal to the various
candidates to paint perceived political enemies in bad light so as to foster
the acceptability of their candidates. The NDRO described this kind of politics
as not being the best kind of politics for the state.
The group particularly urged the media team of the Bayelsa
state governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to call his
men to order. The group said the media team of the governor has been engaged in
unnecessary character assassination of some accomplished Bayelsans who are not
even partisan in their disposition but
have been perceived to be so due to their distancing themselves from his reelection
bid. The group said it is not compulsory that all Bayelsans must speak in
favour of the state governor. “The fact that thye President and his wife are in
support of a particular candidate does not in any way imply that all Bayelsans
must be in favour of his reelection bid. The media team of the governor must
understand this and stop the unnecessary media lampooning of those who have
chosen to stay aloof to his reelection bid.
The group in the press statement signed by its National
Director of Publicity Mr. Edward Tekenah also urged political stakeholders in
the state to call their supporters to order as regards violence. It said it is
imperative that the politicians keep to the ethics of non-violence in elections
especially in a state like Bayela which is easily prone to violence due to its
history of militancy.
It particularly condemned the wanton attacks on the houses of
some politicians in the state describing it as the height of political
immaturity. “The recent attack on the personal properties of some politicians
in the state is totally uncalled for and must be condemned by all stakeholders
interested in building peace and unity of the state. We must all realize that
at the end of the day the people of Bayelsa remains the primary constituency of
anybody that will emerge victorious at the elections and must do all they can
to protect their lives and properties” The NDRO statement stressed.
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