Bayelsa 2015: Group Kicks Against Violence, Campaign of Calumny

Ahead of the December 5^th 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.