By; FUNMI ADERINTO, Kaduna
Kaduna State Peace Commission, has urged the people of Kaduna State to sustain the positive actions in the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections holding on March 11, 2023.
All political parties and their supporters have therefore, been appealed to henceforth, stop hateful campaigns and incitement.
This came to the fore at a press briefing by the Kaduna State Elections Monitoring Committee, with representatives of political parties at a meeting to review the Presidential and National Assembly Elections and assess the ongoing campaigns for the forthcoming Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
At the meeting which was held at the Kaduna State Peace Commission, in Kaduna on Tuesday March 7, 2023, Stakeholders expressed appreciation to the various candidates for the positive roles they played in ensuring that the Presidential and National Assembly elections took place in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity in Kaduna State.
The committee noted that the ongoing campaigns for the Governorship and House of Assembly elections, is featuring desperation by politicians and their supporters who are now deepening the ethnic and religious divisions in the state,
They frowned at the negative role some religious scholars and preachers are engaging in by the endorsement of political parties and candidates in places of worship, which they regretted, is further polarising the polity.
They frowned at the growing use of hate speech and divisive messages in some of the media organisations that is heightening tensions in the state.
“The alarming increase in the use of social media platforms to broadcast hate speech and fake news.
“The potential threats in many communities over the risk of recruiting young people to cause commotion and disrupt the peaceful conduct of the elections,” was frowned at.
The committee, as a matter of urgency, cautioned and appealed to all candidates vying for elective positions in the state, especially the gubernatorial candidates, to make public statements, committing to non-violent elections and renouncing all forms of provocation and incitement, including the use of hateful rhetoric made by others.
“All political parties and their supporters are to henceforth, stop hateful campaigns and incitement. The Kaduna State Police Command and other security agencies to immediately initiate actions that will stop incitements and provocation.
“The Kaduna State Peace Commission, the National Orientation Agency, sister agencies, faith based organisations and civil society organisations to engage with the citizens of the state to calm the current tensions to ensure reversal to issue based campaigns.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission work to address all the lapses associated with the Presidential and National Assembly elections to ensure free, fair and transparent elections on 11th March 2023,” stakeholders outlined.
The Christian Association of Nigeria and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam were advised to issue a joint press statement, appealing to religious leaders to henceforth, stop using places of worship as avenues for campaigns and endorsing candidates.
“They should also extend this appeal to clerics outside Kaduna State who are engaged in endorsing candidates and inciting the citizenry in the state.
“Also, the people of the state, especially the youth should refuse to engage in thuggery and other unwholesome activities that will negatively affect the elections and cause election violence,” the stakeholders urged.
The committee cautioned strongly, that peace and social harmony is embraced in the society.
They also said the lessons learnt from the last election is that when the citizens work together and say no to violence, they conduct themselves peacefully, not withstanding the challenges witnessed in the late arrival of electoral materials witnessed in certain places and the aftermath of the peaceful election conducted.
